Deeper shade of blue
by Yukishiro Tomoe
Summary: AU fic. Misao moves to Kyoto and transfers into Tokai Highschool where she finds herself in the middle of a vicious rivalry between Tokai baseball team led by Kenshin and the Keisei team led by Shishio. AM. Full Chapter 4 up.
1. Chapter 1

Black sky, faint stars. The unnatural fluorescent glow of street lamps, illuminating the grey roads in a neat pattern. Neat, well kept houses and apartment buildings. Brick fences, brass nameplates. The proof of existence, a way to say that one was indeed alive and living.  
  
Shadows, a male and female. Sounds, keys jingling, the creaking of a car door. A choking motor and then a low rumble of it smoothly running, the tranquility broken.  
  
" Have a safe trip home ok?"  
  
Long black hair billowed in the bitterly cold wind. The girl tugged at her jacket, wrapping it around her petite body in a greater effort to keep warm.  
  
" Aa. Hurry up and get inside before you catch a cold Mi-chan."  
  
The girl looked on as the driver closed the door, quickly winding down the window as he settled himself in his seat.  
  
" ...I think I'll wait until you drive away."  
  
The girl's whispered words faintly reached his ears.  
  
" What did you say?"  
  
" Nothing. It was nothing."  
  
The girl tensed, quickly holding up her hands and shaking her head to object. The driver sighed, switching off the engine and moving to step out of the car.  
  
" You know Misao, you can always just come back to Osaka. You don't have to live here by your-"  
  
Misao interrupted him by forcefully slamming a hand on the car door to keep it from opening. She stared down at the smooth pavement of the sidewalk, hoping to avoid the shocked expression of the driver's face.  
  
" Daijoubu ka? Mi-chan?"  
  
Misao forced herself to straighten, plastering a smile on her face.  
  
" Daijoubu nii-chan. You'd better get going, Jii-chan is waiting for you at home."  
  
" You sure you'll be ok here by yourself?"  
  
" Hegi hegi! It's only a month right?"  
  
" Its ok to come back, you don't have to pretend to like it. If you get lonely, you can come back home for a little while."  
  
" ...you know I can't stay there."  
  
Misao smiled sadly before she grinned mischievously. She bent over to reach into the car to tweak her brother's nose.  
  
" You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say my 20 year old brother was afraid of being alone."  
  
Her brother snorted indignantly, reaching out of the car window to whack his sister on the back of the head half-seriously.  
  
" Ite! How could you do that nii-chan!"  
  
Her brother huffed in his seat, crossing his arms and looking the other way.   
  
" Mou! Your such an incompetent brother!"  
  
A silence followed before bursts of laughter came from both or them.  
  
" Seriously though, how can I not miss my only little sister?"  
  
Misao smiled as her brother ruffled her hair before stepping back and pretending to look annoyed.  
  
" I'll let that one go this time! Now hurry up and get going or Jii-chan is gonna complain to me about you being late."  
  
" hai. You're the boss."  
  
Misao watched as her brother turned the key in the ignition to rev up the car, trying to bring the temperature back up.  
  
" Well, I'll be off then."  
  
Misao nodded, lifting a hand to wave. To her surprise, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She gripped her jacket sleeve tightly in a hurry to wipe away the tears quickly.  
  
" Its ok to cry sometimes Misao-chan. I'll come visit soon ok?"  
  
" You...you're not going to desert me as well are you nii-chan?"  
  
" I'll never do that. You're my little sister. I miss baa-chan as well. She didn't desert you."  
  
Misao nodded, smiling faintly through her tears. She made a shooing motion.  
  
" Hurry up and get out of here bakemono."  
  
" Jeez. This is the thanks I get for being a good brother."  
  
" Who said anything about a good brother?"  
  
" fine fine. I'm a bad brother. I'd better go be a good grandson now since I've already failed in one post. Be happy here ok? Keep smiling. I'll call you soon. Oyasumi."  
  
" Oyasumi...have a safe trip!"  
  
Misao watched as the white car moved down the street, disappearing into the darkness.  
  
And then there was nothing save the harsh winds blowing in her ears. She turned quickly, running for the metal staircase, which led to her small apartment. She stopped at the doorway, staring at the plain wall. She glanced over at the apartment next to hers. A brass nameplate, a family name clearly engraved.   
  
Flashbacks. A brick fence, a large house. Bonsai gardens, a pond. A piece of metal mounted proudly, with one name engraved clearly. Makimachi.  
  
Shaking her head, she scolded herself for thinking about such useless and ridiculous things. Inserting the key into the lock, she turned it and opened the door. Her very own apartment.   
  
Despite its small size, something she was unused to, she loved it. With her brother's help, she had spent hours fixing it up. She closed the door behind her, taking off her thick jacket and tossing it onto the couch. She put the keys onto the kotatsu before heading for her room.  
  
She flicked on the light, squinting in bright light and surveyed her room. It was quite bare, a few boxes, a wardrobe, a bookcase and her futon. No stuffed animals, photo frames, posters or any personal knickknacks whatsoever. Sighing, she flopped back onto her futon staring at the ceiling, trying to get used to her new surroundings.  
  
" It'll be alright. By myself."  
  
However, the longer she lay there, the more her words seemed to be a lie.  
  
________  
  
  
Beep.  
  
Beep.  
  
Beep.  
  
Beep.  
  
A pale hand appeared from under the pink teddy bear sheets. In it's flight, it seemed fragile and weak. The hand quickly slammed down on the source of noise, causing a loud crack.  
  
" ITE!!!!"  
  
Misao shot awake, teddy bear covers strewn to one side and her hair flying around her. She held her throbbing hand gently, complaining of the pain. When the pain disappeared, she looked down at her alarm clock. Picking it up, wincing at the slight sting from her injured hand, she inspected it. A large crack ran down the clock face. This, however, made no impact on whether Misao could tell the time.  
  
" Another 15 minutes."  
  
Tossing the alarm clock carelessly next to her futon again, she fell backwards again, pulling the covers up to her chin and rolled over.  
  
Ring ring.  
  
Ring ring.  
  
Misao grumbled as she opened one eye. Who could be calling her at this hour?  
  
  
  
Misao picked up her pillow and held it over her head and pull the covers over herself. Trying to fall back to sleep, she still couldn't manage to block out the incessant ringing.  
She breathed a sigh of relief as the phone stopped. Smiling, she snuggled into the nice dent she had made in her futon and prepared to sleep.  
  
Ring ring.  
  
  
  
Misao lifted the covers from her head, reaching lazily for the portable phone that she had placed next to her futon.  
  
" Moshi moshi" she greeted lazily.  
  
" Ah, I see you're awake."  
  
Misao frowned, trying to clear her foggy mind as she sought to identify the caller.  
  
" NII-CHAN TEME!!!!!!!!!! Do you know what time it is!?!??!"  
  
Misao sat up, screaming into the phone to vent her anger from her sleep being disturbed.  
  
" If you are done screaming, I'll tell you what time it is."  
  
Misao huffed.  
  
" Hmph. I thought you'd have more decency than that to call someone this early in the morning."  
  
" Really now? Well you should be glad to have a brother like me."  
  
" Oh? And why is that?"  
  
" You're supposed to go to school early today remember?"  
  
It dawned on Misao that she had to start school today. She quickly orientated herself as her mind cleared. Looking up, she saw her new school uniform hanging on her wardrobe door.  
  
" Oh yeh! Got to go and get ready. Jya."  
  
" Wait-"  
  
Not wanting to give her brother another chance to tease her, she hung up quickly. Standing up, she stretched, shaking out the kinks in her body as she put on her slippers and padded to the bathroom. 20 minutes later, she emerged in her school uniform, her hair neatly brushed and trapped in its habitual braid.   
  
" watch...where are you...!"  
  
Misao walked around, looking under various objects looking for her watch. When she saw the familiar flash of metal, she grabbed it and put it on.   
  
" Better get going."  
  
Misao looked down at her watch as she walked back into her bedroom to grab a pair of socks. Making sure the top of her baggy white socks stayed up, she shoved on her shoes and grabbed her keys and school bag. Opening the door, she swore under her breath at the cold wind sweeping in through her apartment. Running to her room, she grabbed a school issue woolen sweater, also in navy blue to match the rest of her uniform. She put it on underneath her blazer.  
  
  
  
Without a second thought, she closed the door and locked it. Putting her keys back into her bag, she skipped down the stairs, fumbling in her bag for the map to the school to make sure it was there. When she had been moving in, she remembered that her brother had been driving by the school. Surprisingly she actually had a good sense of direction, although her brother had always proclaimed her as to being rather dense.   
  
She entered the train station, grateful for the slight rise in temperature. Walking up to the ticket machine, she pushed the correct buttons and inserted her money.  
  
" Arigato Gozaimashita..."  
  
Quickly, she grabbed her change and ticket and hurried away from the machine. She hated the mechanical sound recording, even if it was being polite. Finding the train already on the platform, she hurried to get in. Taking a seat in an almost empty carriage she waited until the train reached her station. She watched in amusement as a little boy, accompanied by an old lady sitting on the opposite side of the carriage, drew pictures on the window, the heat from the train and the coldness of the outside air allowing the condensation to collect to allow a makeshift artist's canvas.   
  
" Nee-chan! Do you like my picture?"  
  
She smiled at the little boy as the old lady smiled apologetically at her. Placing her school bag on her seat, she walked across the carriage and raised her finger, drawing cat ears on the little boy's drawing.  
  
Before Misao could say anything, the announcement of her station rang throughout the train.  
  
" Gomen ne, this is my stop. Nice drawing! Ja ne!"  
  
Misao hurriedly grabbed her bag and walked off the train and the platform, heading for the exit. She shivered in the cold temperature, longing for the lovely heat from the train.  
  
Despite the bitter weather, she found that she actually enjoyed the walk to school as she passed by the nearby shopping district, greeting the shopkeepers and buying her lunch. Something to look forward to definitely!  
  
Walking at a slow pace, she turned the corner, smiling happily as she found the school situated right in front of her. Her pace quickened as she walked towards the school, passing through the open gates.  
  
" So this is it. Tokai high school."  
  
She looked up at the large clock at the top of the building.   
  
She hated clocks. Probably because she was usually always late if she was left to her own devices.  
  
  
  
Squaring herself, she prepared to enter the building when she stopped to hear the sounds of someone approaching quickly on what sounded like a bike. She turned sharply just in time to see a tall figure swerve by, his long legs paddling fast. His disheveled black hair sweeping across his face as he rode by, his intense deep blue eyes focusing on her for a split second before looking down. Wondering what he was looking at, she looked down to find her skirt was blowing up from the wind caused by the speed of the bike. Blushing furiously, she watched the cyclist ride away.  
  
" TEME! HENTAI!"  
  
Misao pulled her skirt back down, dusting it off as she realized the cyclist was long gone.  
  
  
  
Misao fumed as she turned back to face the building.  
  
  
  
_______  
  
Eyes. Mostly hazel and a pair of shocking blue.  
  
" Makimachi Misao desu."  
  
Peering through the strands of hair as she bent in a slight bow, she surveyed her class intensely. She straightened, smiling brightly and put her right hand on her hip, sticking her left hand out in a 'v' style.  
  
" Yoroshiku onegaishimasu ne?"  
  
She winked as the teacher groaned.  
  
" Take your seat Makimachi."  
  
" Hai! Saitou-sensei!"  
  
Taking no notice of the teacher's annoyed look, she walked down between the rows of desks to the only empty one in the 2nd last row next to the window. Smiling happily, she sat down on her chair and proceeded to take her books and pencil case out. Hanging her bag on the hook on the side of the desk, she sat back, stretching her arms and peered out the window to check out her view.  
  
" Sasaki."  
  
" Hai."  
  
" Tazawa."  
  
" Hai."  
  
Misao looked back towards the front to watch her homeroom teacher slam the roll call book on the table and pull out a cigarette packet. Pulling out a cigarette and a lighter, he shoved the packet into his pocket and walked out, sliding the door shut with a loud bang . A tense silence passed. Misao too felt the overwhelming effects of Saitou-sensei's presence.  
  
Silence. Then unrivalled chaotic noise.  
  
High pitched squeaks of chairs dragging back, shuffling of shoes and the starts of loud and lively conversation.   
  
In all the commotion, Misao didn't sense a person approach her desk. She looked at the shadow falling across her desk before looking up. A girl stood smiling, her shiny, shoulder length, black hair held back by a simple blue headband. Her skin was so pale that it was almost alarming. She was the one with the blue eyes that had captured her attention.  
  
" Ohayo Makimachi-san. I am the class representative-"  
  
" Atsuko-chan! Ohayo!"  
  
An energetic blond girl approached them, tailed by 2 friends, one with dyed red curls and another with short brown hair.  
  
" ...Ohayo Watanabe-san, Yamamoto-san, Kawai-san."  
  
Misao watched with a confused expression as she watched the exchange. Atsuko slightly shrank back away from the 3 girls.  
  
" Mou Atsuko-chan! Call me Akiko!"  
  
" ...eto...Akiko-san."  
  
Akiko frowned slightly before returning to a bright smile that Misao thought seemed a little fake.  
  
" Yeh! You can call me Yu-"  
  
The girl with red hair stopped mid-sentence as Akiko cut her off with a quick pinch.  
  
" Anyway, Atsuko-chan, can you do us a favor?"  
  
Judging from Atsuko's expression of weariness and slight annoyance, Misao could tell this was a question asked quite often.  
  
" Class representative... Atsuko-san, can you take me on a tour of the school please? If its not much of a bother."  
  
Atsuko brightened immediately at Misao's request, still controlling herself enough to nod modestly instead of cheering.   
  
" No its not a bother."  
  
Suddenly, the sound of the door sliding open startled the whole class, placing a blanket of silence over them. Everyone scrambled for his or her seats.  
  
" Class 1-B, your English teacher is not here today. Please study quietly."  
  
A short male teacher stuck his head in, adjusting his glasses before ducking out and closing the door behind him.   
  
The class erupted into activity, most of the guys pushing back their chairs and leaving the room as quickly as possible. Misao fished some money out of her bag and got up, looking around for Atsuko's desk. She peered around the room, not catching a glimpse of the girl. Her eyes rested on 3 girls crowding around a desk. Hurrying over, she tapped the seated girl on the shoulder. Sure enough, it was Atsuko.  
  
" Ne, Atsuko-san. How about that tour?"  
  
Atsuko immediately got up, looking frightened as she avoided eye contact with the three girls. Akiko spoke up again, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder and staring intensely at Misao.  
  
" Makimachi right? We want to talk to you."  
  
" Yeh! We want to talk to ya!" Yamamoto and Kawai echoed after Akiko.  
  
Misao shrugged before turning to Atsuko with a smile.  
  
" Do you want to wait outside? I'll be there in a minute."  
  
Atsuko was quite glad for a chance to leave but she paused with indecision.  
  
" outside...ne?"  
  
Misao nodded, watching Atsuko walk out the door. When she was out of earshot, Akiko spoke up.  
  
" You want to join us?"  
  
Misao stared incredulously at the trio, this was not what she was expecting.  
  
" Nani?"  
  
" Join us."  
  
" Join what?"  
  
The three girls crowded in close, allowing Misao to see the white powder on their faces and heavy mascara adorning their eyelashes.  
  
" Be careful with it ok?"  
  
Akiko reached inside her blazer's inner pocket, pulling out a photo facing away from Misao.  
  
" Here."  
  
Misao stared at the photo weirdly, wondering if the girls were part of a photography club or some sort.  
  
" Eto...you know I'm hopeless with a camera-"  
  
" Don't be stupid Makimachi. Take a look and you'll definitely want to join us afterward."  
  
Misao definitely did not like Akiko's ominous tone. Her brown eyes gleamed, giving Misao a shiver.  
  
Misao took the photo with her fingertips, quickly placing it face down onto the desk. She stared at it intensely.  
  
  
  
" Oi Makimachi. Look."  
  
Misao swallowed hard, her skin taking on a somewhat grayish pallor. Delicately, she flipped the photo over.  
  
" Kyaaaaa! Isn't it sooooo gorgeous?"  
  
" I, like, totally agree! Shinomori-san is so goodlooking!"  
  
Misao didn't notice the girls swoon melodramatically over the picture with hearts in eyes. She could not take her eyes off the photo in front of her. She knew this guy.  
  
" Kakoii ne New girl? So how about it? Want to join?"  
  
" This guy...from this morning..."  
  
Akiko grabbed her on the shoulders, shaking her strongly while the two behind her swooned, clasping their hands together and squealed.  
  
" Sugoi!"  
  
" Kakoii!"  
  
Akiko stopped shaking her, looking down at the photo herself.  
  
" You mean you met Shinomori-san already? You do work fast. I like that. So do you want to join our club? The Shinomori-suki fanclub."  
  
Misao looked up from the photo, her fists clenched as a torrent of emotions filled her. Her mind was stuck at the crossroads, not knowing whether to get angry at Shinomori for what happened that morning or laugh outright at the ridiculous idea of a fanclub for such a rude and perverted guy.  
  
" You know, its not just this class. The Shinomori-suki fanclub has members in every class, the head of the club is actually in year 3-"  
  
" Ano...Makimachi-san. Are you ready to go?"  
  
Misao looked to her right to see Atsuko standing at the doorway.  
  
" Gomen. I have to go now..."  
  
Misao moved quickly towards the door, waving halfheartedly over her shoulder. She hurriedly linked arms with Atsuko and ran, with Akiko's voice yelling after her.  
  
" So do you wanna join!?"  
  
Misao wanted to laugh as she ran.  
  
" Ano, Makimachi-san..."  
  
" Call me Misao."  
  
" Misao-chan...there's a rule against running in the hallways."  
  
Misao skidded to a stop, causing Atsuko to knock right into her. Misao smiled sheepishly and bowed slightly.  
  
" Sorry bout that."  
  
" Iie, daijoubu. Now where would you like me to take you?"  
  
Misao opened the zipper to her skirt pocket and fished out a few coins.  
  
" How about a vending machine?"  
  
  
________  
  
" Oh he was so annoying! He just rode right by! Without stopping to apologize or anything! Argh!"   
  
Misao tightened her grip on her cup dangerously as her eyes blazed with anger.  
  
" Ano, Misao-chan. Your cup."  
  
" oh!"  
  
Misao quickly loosened her grip on the cup, but not before some hot liquid splashed onto her hand. Scrunching her face up in pain, she quickly searched in her pocket for some tissue to wipe her hand.  
  
" What was his name?"  
  
" Name of who?"  
  
" The person from this morning."  
  
" Think his name was Shinomori, judging from the picture those girls showed me this morning. Ooh! If I see him today, he's going to get it!"  
  
Misao pumped a fist into the air to show her violent intentions.   
  
" But he's-"  
  
Drinking the lasts sugary dregs of hot chocolate, Misao tossed the small cup into the nearby bin, sighing happily as the warm liquid trickled down her throat, totally ignoring Atsuko.  
  
" Samui ne?"  
  
Atsuko looked at her sympathetically as she wrapped her large gray scarf around her neck.  
  
" Freezing."  
  
Both girls walked back into the main school building, rubbing their hands together in an attempt to get warmer.  
  
" Would you like to borrow a scarf?"  
  
" You brought two? That's a little extreme isn't it?"  
  
Atsuko smiled shyly and blushed, shaking her head.  
  
" No, my brother left early this morning. He forgot to bring his so I thought I might take it to him today. You can borrow it if you want, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."  
  
Misao nodded and followed Atsuko as she led her back to their classroom. Misao waited outside in the hallway, not wanting to see those three girls again. Leaning back against the wall, she peered out the window to watch a class run around in the gym. She shivered as she looked at the gym uniform.  
  
" Here."  
  
Atsuko held out a long woolen scarf of a vibrant blue. Misao gladly took it and wrapped it around herself, marveling at the warmth.  
  
" You made this yourself didn't you?"  
  
Atsuko blushed, shying away slightly.  
  
" Hai."  
  
" its very good. You're brother is pretty lucky. I'd never do this for mine. Whats that your holding?"  
  
Misao looked at the box Atsuko was holding, wrapped in a pink cloth.  
  
" Nothing much. Just my brother's obento. I have to go give it to him during his break."  
  
Misao looked surprised, a weird expression on her face as she wondered why this girl had such a large brother complex. She shrugged, her face brightening again as she remembered her favourite spot at her old school.  
  
" Atsuko-chan. Can we go to the roof?"  
  
Atsuko almost dropped the bento she was holding in surprise.  
  
" um...the roof?"  
  
" Yep! Lets go!"  
  
Misao grabbed Atsuko's arm and took off, heading for the stairs. Atsuko ran to keep up with Misao and to keep herself from falling over as she was dragged along.  
  
" You can't run in hallways."  
  
Once again, Misao skidded to a stop, remembering the rule. Atsuko sighed in relief, brushing back her hair with her hand.  
  
" Misao-chan, we can't go to the roof."  
  
" Why not?"  
  
" What are you doing here?"  
  
Both Atsuko and Misao turned around slowly, looking down at a male student standing on the stair landing.  
  
" Shouldn't you be in class?"  
  
Atsuko was at a loss for words, blushing with embarrassment and was about to apologise when Misao spoke up for them.  
  
" Our teacher is not here for today."  
  
" Then shouldn't you have stayed in your classroom for private study?"  
  
" Gomen nasai sensei. I am new to the school and my class representative was kind enough to take me on a tour around the school."  
  
Misao quickly pinched Atusko who quickly hid the bento behind her back and smiled in agreement.  
  
" Ok. But you girls are 1st years right? You shouldn't be on the 3rd year level."  
  
" Hai."  
  
Both girls bowed as the teacher walked back down the stairs and disappeared.  
  
" Phew. That was close. Lets go back down to the classroom Misao-chan."  
  
" We're already this close. C'mon, I want to see the view from the roof. We can go give your brother that bento later as well."  
  
Misao walked off, humming to herself, leaving Atsuko standing at the top of the stairs. She looked down the stairs then down the 3rd year hallway. She knew which was the safer option. Without another though, she grimaced, rushing after Misao. When she reached Misao, she placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.  
  
" The entrance to the roof is back there. You missed it."  
  
Misao nodded, following Atsuko's lead. The roof at her last school had been her favorite place. Standing at the top, wind blowing in her hair, she felt free, high up away from her troubles, any troubles. Even if it was just a place to hide away from her troubles and not solve them, she still wanted that small measure of comfort and familiarity.   
  
" That's it right?"  
  
Atsuko nodded, putting her hand on the hand railing and staring up at the door above them. Misao raced up the stairs, 3 at a time. Her hands closed on the cool metal of handle. She sucked in a deep breath and opened the door, smiling broadly in anticipation. The cold wind almost knocked her off her feet as the air rushed in. She was about to take a step forward when she noticed that there was already a group of people standing there.   
  
Not standing. She was quite mistaken.  
  
One sole figure stood in the center of a mass of bodies groaning in pain. The wind gently ruffled his black hair as he wiped the blood trailing down the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. His white shirt was dirty in several places, stained with blood. His large hands tugged at the upright collar of his shirt, a small smirk on his face as he observed the people down all around him. His warm breath created puffs of condensation in the air, telling Misao that his even breathing showed no sign of distress, as if knocking down so many people was a daily occurrence.  
  
" Owari da."  
  
The cold deep voice echoed in Misao's ears as she stood dead still in the doorway.   
  
" Misao? Doushita?"  
  
Misao could hear Atsuko walking up behind her. Quickly she shoved Atsuko behind her back as she watched and listened. The sound of clapping and then someone clearing their throat. It was then she realized there was someone else on the roof. A male in a clean and immaculate forest green blazer came into view, his hands clapping. Behind him was a beautiful girl, her glossy black hair secured on top of her head with a strand of beads and a beauty mark directly below her rouge painted mouth. She also wore a green school uniform, her skirt shamefully short and a enough buttons left undone to show a scandalous hint of bra for a high school student. Leaning against the railing, she threw her head back, taking a long drag at the cigarette in her well-manicured fingers.  
  
" Shinomori Aoshi. You certainly are worthy of joining my team. Transfer to my team or forget about showing up at the next match. If you do...well lets say some people will be in a lot of pain."  
  
Misao could see his fists clench at the green uniformed boy's threat.  
  
" This is none of your concern. Take your pathetic lackeys and leave Shishio Makoto."  
  
Misao felt her blood run cold as she found Shishio's gaze on her. He smiled enigmatically at her, seeming to change his mind about what he was about to say when he discovered her presence. She frowned slightly as she saw his gaze wander around.  
  
" Now now Shinomori, no need to be rude. Remember, it is a considerable offence and is quite bad sportsmanship to fight in school."  
  
Aoshi smirked at Shishio's condescending tone and replied coolly without skipping a beat.  
  
" I am also aware that skipping school and attacking a rival team is also termed to be bad sportsmanship."  
  
Shishio laughed, taking the proffered cigarette and taking a drag before throwing it over the side of the roof. He walked past Aoshi, heading towards the door as his followers groaned and got up to move out of his way.   
  
" I like your style Shinomori. Think about my offer."  
  
Shishio stopped behind Aoshi as he waited for his underlings to get off the roof. Misao quickly moved aside, not wanting to get involved any more than she already was. When the last bloody, roughed up boy limped down the stairs, Shishio sauntered up to her, giving her the same eerie smile. Cupping the bottom of Misao's chin with an extended arm, he peered at her, his eyes absorbing every feature of her face.  
  
" Such a pretty young thing. Pity you go to this school. You know you're always welcome at Keisei."  
  
Shishio let go, moving forward slightly to pass her. She tried to ignore the unknown girl's jealousy as she felt the girl's stare on her.  
  
" Ah, this one is a better catch."  
  
Shishio caught Atsuko's free hand as she cowered behind Misao. He pulled her close to him, whispering in her ear so only she could hear, caressing her earlobe gently with his calloused fingertips.  
  
" A much better choice to play with...as Shinomori's younger sister."  
  
He stayed close for a while longer so she could feel his hot breath tickling her ear before kissing her on the cheek. Atsuko's body shook from fear as Shishio placed his hand onto his chest as a gesture. Laughing at the young girl's sniffles, he dropped her hand. He waved over his shoulder and disappeared through the doorway and down the stairs followed by the girl.  
  
Misao didn't even notice Shishio's advances on her friend. Her gaze remained on Aoshi.  
  
" Its you." Misao whispered.  
  
Aoshi showed no sign of hearing as he dusted himself off and wiped his hands on his pants. Shaking with anger from this lack of acknowledgment, she pulled out a hair pin, throwing it at the figure before her.  
  
" TEME! BAKA YARO!"  
  
Aoshi caught the pin between the fingers of his left hand, momentarily distracting him enough to prevent him from dodging Misao's flying kick. He lifted his left arm higher to block, the connection surprisingly jarring his hand, the reason lying with the girl's sheer strength. Using his arm, Misao pushed off again to land behind him. She quickly whirled around to attack him again.  
  
" What is your problem girl?"  
  
Aoshi dodged Misao's fast attacks before being whacked in the face with her braid.  
  
" You pervert! You don't even remember!"  
  
The pair sprang apart, Misao breathing heavily from physical exertion and yelling. Aoshi looked at her with an expressionless face.   
  
" You and your stupid bike! What was with the staring? You did it on purpose! ECCHI!"  
  
Misao barreled towards him again. Aoshi observed her attack coolly, vaguely aware of the blood dripping down the side of his face, he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand before tensing to avoid the attack.  
  
" MISAO-CHAN, ONII-CHAN YAMETE!"  
  
Misao stopped, mid attack.  
  
" Eh? ...ACK!"  
  
Misao lost her concentration, tripping over an appropriately placed school bag and pitched forward. She closed her eyes, trying not to think about the pain which would come after smacking onto concrete face first. Opening her eyes, she realized that Aoshi's hands, gripping her by the shoulders, was keeping her from landing on the floor. Pulling her back up to a standing position, he left her standing there to walk towards Atsuko.  
  
" Onii-chan?"  
  
Misao looked bewildered as she turned around to see Aoshi kneel next to Atsuko, pulling his sleeve up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Shrugging, she pulls out a clean tissue out of her pocket and offered it to Aoshi.  
  
" So you're the brother."  
  
" Aa."  
  
Aoshi continued to wipe the still crying Atsuko's face with his sleeve.  
  
" Baka. Use the tissue. Your sleeve is dirty."  
  
Misao knelt down also, slapping Aoshi's hand away and offering the tissue to Atsuko herself, putting an arm around the girl. Aoshi stood, moving to pick up his school jacket and school bag.   
  
" Just scared Atsuko?"  
  
Atsuko looked up at Misao through her tears and shook her head.  
  
" Its not just that...just...it was my first kiss."  
  
Misao's head dropped to one side at the girl's reason for crying. However, after seeing how distraught her friend was, she rushed to reassure her.  
  
" Daijoubu. Just a kiss on the cheek right? It doesn't count."  
  
" Honto?"  
  
Misao nodded, smiling.  
  
" Go wash your face ok?"  
  
Atsuko looked over Misao's shoulder at her brother running a hand through his hair, inspecting his hand afterward.  
  
" But onii-chan's hurt."  
  
Misao turned around, wincing as she caught sight of the blood on Aoshi's hand.  
  
" I'll take care of it. His lunch too."  
  
Misao gestured to the obento still packaged in its pink bunny material. Atsuko hesitated before brightening and nodding her agreement. Getting up off the floor, she dusted herself off and dragged her hand across her eyes to rid herself of the last tears.   
  
" Ja ne nii-chan."  
  
Misao watched Atsuko rush off as she stood up. Turning around, she caught sight of Aoshi un-tucking his white shirt. Misao blushed in embarrassment as she caught sight of Aoshi's naked chest as he pulled up the bottom hem to wipe the blood from his face. Covering up her embarrassment, she stalked over and whacked him on the arm.  
  
" Baka! Don't wipe your blood on your shirt! Everyone will see!"  
  
Aoshi didn't answer, stooping to pick up his jacket and shrugging it on. Leaving his collar flicked up, he proceeded to button his school uniform. The bloody shirt disappeared behind the navy blue jacket.  
  
" Hmph."  
  
Misao's blood boiled as she caught a small glimpse of Aoshi's smirk. Catching sight of the cut on his cheek, still bleeding, she fumbled around in her skirt pocket, pulling out the perfect source of revenge. Back in her last school, she always got into scrapes with her friends and always carried several around with her. Unwrapping the white bandaid with a brown teddy bear print, she moved towards him. He lifted a hand to stop her from getting closer but Misao simply pushed it away and pushed him into a sitting position on the floor as he was too tall for her to reach.  
  
" If I don't stick this on, the blood will drip onto the front of your collar."  
  
Aoshi, surprisingly waited patiently to let her stick on the somewhat embarrassing bandaid onto his left cheek. She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated in sticking it on right leaning closer and closer to get a better view. Patting it gently, she smiled.  
  
" You know, I'm only doing this for your sister."  
  
Taking off the blue scarf Atsuko had lent her earlier, she wrapped it around Aoshi's neck, pulling out another tissue to soak up some of the blood from his head.  
  
" The scarf is yours. Atsuko lent it to me. You'll need it to cover up the blood stains anyway because I'm guessing you don't need anyone to know about what happened up here."  
  
Misao walked away, bending to pick up the pink obento and presenting it to Aoshi with an evil grin.  
  
" I still haven't forgiven you for what you did this morning. Remember that."  
  
With those as her last words, she skipped off, shutting the door to the roof softly, leaving Aoshi, sitting alone, holding a pink bunny obento and sporting a white bandaid with teddy bears all over it. As the bell rung, signaling the end of the period, Aoshi muttered under his breath.  
  
" Che. Baka onna."  
  
______  
  
  
A loud bunch of giggling, chattering girls tailed Aoshi as he headed to his classroom. A neat white sign with the numbers 3-1 printed in bold black letters hung over the room as he slid open the door. Quickly, he stepped inside, slamming the sliding door shut to keep out the fawning girls outside.  
  
The once noisy classroom now became silent. Everyone stopped mid conversation, turning to watch as Aoshi walked noiselessly to his seat in the back row, dropping the pink obento on his desk and slumping onto a chair. He glared at the class as they dumbly stared back.  
  
" Oi Aoshi! Whats with you today? Got a girlfriend or something? Man. I wish my girlfriend would make me lunch and take care of me like that!"  
  
The boy perched on his backwards chair yelled out to him, smoothing his messy brown hair upwards to maintain his upstyle.   
  
" Pfft. Who said I was your girlfriend Sagara?!"  
  
Sanosuke rubbed the back of his head where the girl had just smacked him. Glancing up at the girl with puppy dog eyes, the girl merely shrugged, tossing her long black hair behind her.  
  
" Aww...don't say things like that kitsune, I know you love me."  
  
" Pfft. In your dreams."  
  
Their conversation was cut off when several loud wails came from outside the doors. It seemed the members of the Shinomori-suki fan club stationed outside was unfortunate enough to catch the snags of conversation which featured the words 'Aoshi' and ' girlfriend'. The class caused an uproar, choosing this time to ask Aoshi about Sanosuke's question.  
  
" Is it true!? Did you get a girlfriend Shinomori-sama?"  
  
" Wow! That would be so good for the rest of the male population at this school!"  
  
" Who is it?"  
  
" Who is it?"  
  
Aoshi slammed his open palm onto the table, getting up from his seat and glaring at everybody when the questions became unbearable. He had high tolerance, but it had already been attacked today, by the loud bunch of girls outside, by Shishio and by the girl who had stuck the bandaid on his cheek.  
  
" ...Now now everyone. Lets stop pestering Aoshi-san ne?"  
  
A short red haired boy with a faint cross scar on his cheek walked up from the front of the classroom to rest a hand on Aoshi's shoulder. Taking his seat again, Aoshi looked uninterested in the situation once more.  
  
" Sano, you know as well as I do that it was probably Aoshi-san's younger sister...though it doesn't explain the teddy bears. I was so sure Atsuko-chan liked bunnies-"  
  
Kenshin stopped mid sentence as Aoshi glared at him.  
  
" What was that Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin held up his hands to gesture that it was nothing to Sano. Turning back to Aoshi, he took the empty seat in front of him and swung his leg over to sit on it, hugging the back rest and facing Aoshi. His normal smile disappeared into a look of seriousness.  
  
" There's blood on your hair. You got into a fight. You know that's bad for a baseball player."  
  
Aoshi's mouth twitched, one of the biggest reactions that Kenshin ever managed to get out of him.  
  
" Shishio paid me a visit this morning."  
  
Kenshin looked genuinely startled. His violet eyes narrowed, gleaming predatory with a flash of gold, his lips pulling into a cold smile.  
  
" Sou da. What did he say?"  
  
" KENSHIN!!!!"  
  
The classroom door flew open again, an eager girl with her blue hair tied up in a high pony tail with a long purple ribbon trailing behind her rushed to Kenshin, pouncing on his back and hugging him with all her might.  
  
Aoshi almost sighed as he watched Kenshin go swirly eyed.  
  
" ororororororororo"  
  
Kaoru loosened her grip on Kenshin for a split second, allowing Kenshin to revert back to a coherent form.  
  
" You'd better go wash it off before someone sees it."  
  
Aoshi stood, pushing his chair back just as Kaoru began to hug the red head again. This time, Aoshi did sigh. He had always wondered how such a strong and respectable player could be turned into such putty in the hands of a woman.   
  
He walked out of the classroom, ignoring the swell of fan girls grouping around him. Loosening his jacket collar, he pushed open the door the men's bathroom. Checking to see if anyone was there, he locked the door to the whole bathroom.   
  
He unwrapped the blue scarf from around his neck, noticing the specks of blood on it. He bent down, washing off the fresh blood from the scarf's woolly fibres. Holding up the scarf close to his face to check it for more blood stains, he noticed an unfamiliar sweet smell lingering.  
  
That girl.  
  
Dumping the scarf on the shelf under the mirror, he turned on the tap full force, sticking his head underneath the cool rushing water, using his hands to wash the blood out of his hair. The water became clear after a full 3 minutes. It seemed he had bled more than he thought. Flicking his head back, he sent a spray of water all over the concrete floor. Ruffling his hair in an effort to dry it, he stared at himself in the mirror.  
  
His blue eyes focused on the teddy bear bandaid fixed on his cheek. He reached up to rip it off, grunting as a fresh spurt of blood began to trail down the side of his cheek. It seemed he would be stuck wearing such a ridiculous bandage for the rest of the day.  
  
  
______  
  
Misao giggled to herself as she walked down the stairs to her classroom. Sliding open the door to her room, she fingered the bandaid in her pocket.  
  
" Misao-chan! You're back!"  
  
Atsuko rushed up to her, looking refreshed and not quite as blotchy eyed as before. She seemed very concerned.  
  
" How is onii-chan? Is he ok?"  
  
Misao smirked as Atsuko backed away from Misao's somewhat sinister aura.  
  
" Oh...he's fine."  
  
" Eto...what is that in your pocket Misao?"  
  
Misao laughed, pulling out the plain white bandaid out of her pocket for Atsuko to see. She had been around males all her life, she had enough experience with brothers. She would bet her life on it that Shinomori Aoshi would not particularly enjoy the experience of having pictures of teddy bears stuck on his face all day, regardless of the medical purpose and definitely not just because they were cute.  
  
  
  
End of chapter 1. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2   
  
Thursday, second last day of the school week. Misao had been looking forward to the end of the week ever since she had started on Monday. True, she would miss the company of the people around her because she lived alone, but the past week of the hectic rush of going to a new school was enough for her. For once, she would be happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.   
  
Oh well. One more day to go.  
  
" Misao-chan?"  
  
Misao snapped to attention, wondering why the classroom seemed so quiet.  
  
" Class is over now...don't you have to go to your club now?"  
  
Looking around, she saw the room had been mostly deserted, leaving only Atsuko holding her bag, staring at her. Quickly, pushing her chair back, she hurried to stuff her things in her bag, pushing the teddy bear key ring out of the way to sling the bag onto her left shoulder.  
  
" See you later!"  
  
" Wait! Misao! Are you coming over this afternoon?"  
  
Misao peeked back into the classroom after rushing out at top speed.  
  
" Yep. Meet you at the school gate...I gotta hurry! My sempai really hates lateness!"  
  
Misao took off running down the hall, her long braid flying behind her as she kept her skirt down with one hand.  
  
" Meet at the baseball field instead!!!! You can't run in the hallways Misao!"  
  
Ignoring Atsuko's warning, she kept running, taking the stairs 3 at a time as she raced for the Kyuudou club headquarters. Quickly changing into her uniform, she pulled her chest guard over her head and secured the glove on her hand before picking up her bow. Sighing with relief, she snuck onto the back of the line just in time for the captain to start speaking.  
  
Hours later, she found herself walking along the path towards the baseball diamond, freezing as the cold breeze made the freezing cold temperatures more apparent. Wrapping her own scarf around her neck more securely, she pulled it up to cover part of her face to keep warmer. Keeping her head down, she walked faster to get to the baseball field where she was supposed to meet Atsuko.  
  
" Ah! Makimachi-san!"  
  
Misao looked up slightly, peering to her left to see Akiko Watanabe walk next to her. She could hear the footsteps of 2 people behind her, probably Akiko's sidekicks.  
  
" Oh...hey."  
  
Despite her unenthusiastic reply, Akiko spoke happily.  
  
" Ne, so have you decided about joining to Shinomori-suki club yet? The leader wants to know."  
  
" Erm...I don't think-"  
  
" Come on Makimachi-san! It'll be fun?"  
  
Kawai's voice spoke up from behind her. Misao shook her head, quickening her step as she saw the baseball field come into view. Shivering, she pulled her sleeves up to shield her hands from the cold.  
  
" I really don't think-"  
  
" We have so much fun! Join us!"  
  
With the three girls chattering around her, Misao could do nothing to discourage them. Finally giving up, she just let them talk to her as she walked. Hearing footsteps, she looked up to see a tall imposing figure, dressed in a dark blue baseball uniform with a grey undershirt. In his hands was a baseball mitt he had quickly discarded as he trotted towards the team area. Despite the cold, he showed no signs of acknowledgement as he walked calmly. He glanced at her, noticing the trail of people struggling to catch up with her and looked away quickly again. A rush of heat built up in Misao, from embarrassment and annoyance. Running up to him, she whacked him on the arm with her schoolbag, knowing that his head was hurt, and screamed at him.  
  
" Don't you dare put me into the same group as those girls Shinomori! I'm not part of your stupid adoring fan club!"  
  
With a huff of indignation, she stormed off towards the team area herself where she could see Atsuko looking at them slightly worried. The members of the Shinomori-suki club had not even noticed her departure as they were captivated by Aoshi, standing absolutely still. Such lowly members of the club were not allowed to be so close, only permitted to admire from afar. The photo of the guy was a secret from the club, a possession that was against club rules and yet something Akiko treasured too much to give up. They stared in awe at Aoshi.  
  
Suddenly, a loud sneeze escaped his mouth, jolting him back to reality. Covering his mouth in time, he began to walk again, ignoring the girls staring at him as if he was on display. Walking towards the team gathered in the seating area, he tried to ignore the cold. The baseball uniform didn't do a lot to keep one warm in winter. His arm still tingled ever so slightly from when that girl had hit him with her school bag. A pang of annoyance hit him.  
  
  
  
Of course, what he had thought was insulting. Through his eyes, anyone who belonged to that demented group was not worth his time. But then not a whole lot of people were worth his time these days.  
  
" Hurry nii-chan! You might catch a cold!"  
  
Picking up the pace, he jogged back towards the baseball diamond, wanting to change back into his school uniform which was much warmer. Ignoring the rest of the team's antics, he shrugged his blazer on over his broad shoulders, bending to pick up his school bag. Wrapping the blue scarf around his neck, he walked out of the change room, members calling out their goodbyes to him. Raising a hand to give a slight wave, he pushed open the swinging door to reach the baseball fields again.  
  
" Nii-chan! Over here!"  
  
Turning to his left, he could see Atsuko seated on the grass in the outfield and she was not alone. As his sister waved to him, he could see the girl seated next wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. The sweet smell left on his scarf became more evident as he watched the source of the fragrance sitting there with a huffy expression.   
  
What was that girl's problem anyway?  
  
He moved his hand to pull the scarf off, stopping when he felt the cold breeze hit his neck. The weather was definitely giving him second thoughts. The annoying girl be damned, Aoshi Shinomori was keeping that scarf on, with that smell or without.  
  
" I guess we'd better get going."  
  
Both girls got up from the ground and dusted themselves off, taking their school bags and chatting as they walked towards the station. Ignoring the mindless chatter, Aoshi reached into his pant pocket for his train pass. Crossing the barricade, he stopped at the other side before getting on the platform when he realized the two girls had disappeared. Trying to ignore the sudden hushes and staring school girls around him, he walked down the stairs to his platform, figuring that his sister could take care of herself. Taking a seat on the bench, he checked his watch to see when the train would arrive next. He was surprised that it was not his sister but that girl take a seat next to him. Looking behind her, he could not see his sister anywhere. Before he asked, Misao seemed to predict his question, answering it for him.  
  
" She just saw some old school friends."  
  
Aoshi remembered his sister's friends from junior high. He never forgot the face of anyone who hurt his sister. It seemed that they only pretended to be friends, just to have the chance to get close to him. He wouldn't let it happen again. Atsuko seemed really happy, bring friends with the girl seated next to him. He didn't want a repeat of junior high.  
  
" Why are you friends with her?"  
  
Misao seemed quite taken aback by his question. Leaning back, she looked up at the metal roof, her eyes absorbing every detail.  
  
" With who? Atsuko? Do I need a reason? Friends are just friends because they want to be. No ulterior motives. I swear."  
  
Looking at Aoshi intently, Misao smiled at his passive expression.  
  
" You really are quite arrogant aren't you? Trust me. I'm not friends with Atsuko because of you. Hell, I don't think I even like you. Pervert!"  
  
Poking her tongue out at him, she turned back to staring at the ceiling, placing her school bag in her lap and wrapping her arms around herself in the cold. The train pulled in, with the usual rush of passengers getting on and off. Waiting patiently in line on the side of the door, she watched the staircase for Atsuko who had not arrived yet.  
  
" What are you doing?"  
  
Misao heard Aoshi's voice coming from behind her.  
  
" What does it look like? Getting on a train!"  
  
" Why this train?"  
  
Heading into the train, she sat down on a side seat as the train was already quite crowded. She found Atsuko's brother towering over her, still expecting her answer.  
  
" I don't usually catch this train. But I'm visiting your house today. Didn't she tell you? Where is that girl! She's going to miss the train."  
  
Suddenly the doors swung close, the coldness slowly disappearing as the train's heat system took over. Misao stared worriedly out the window, still unable to catch a glimpse of Atsuko anywhere. Suddenly her mobile phone began to ring. Fumbling her in bag frantically, she pulled out her phone, the little bells and tiny figurines hanging off falling onto her hand. Flipping it open, she lifted it up to her ear.  
  
" Moshi moshi...ah! Atsuko! Doushita?"  
  
" I missed the train...I'll meet you at home ok? You're with my brother aren't you?"  
  
" We can wait at the station for you."  
  
" No its too cold to wait...I'll see you. Ja."  
  
The line went dead, Misao took the phone away from her ear, looking down at the screen which proved the end of their conversation. Now she was faced with the prospect of walking to Atsuko's house with a pervert guy. Alone.  
  
They stayed on the train in silence, watching station after station go by. The carriage emptied until eventually Aoshi sat opposite her, the only people other than the pair was a pair of elementary school students and an old lady. The announcer came on the air, repeating her words as she called out the next station. Misao, fidgeting with her knee socks and trying to keep them up, noticed that this was her stop as Aoshi got to his feet and went to stand at the door. Quickly grabbing her bag, she moved to stand behind him, following him off the train and out of the train station.  
  
Suddenly, Aoshi stopped in the middle of the road with Misao smashing in the back of him as she was keeping her head down in her scarf to keep warm.  
  
" Why are you following me?"  
  
Misao rubbed her slightly reddened nose. Staring up at his back, she shrugged.  
  
" Because Atsuko told me to. She told me to follow you home...Snow!!"  
  
Her words trailing off, she held her hand out towards the sky to catch the small snow flakes which fell from the sky. Forgetting Aoshi, she ran forward, staring up at the sky as the snow flakes fell softly, covering her hair and face. She smiled in delight, savouring nature's delicate beauty before a cold deep voice brought her back to reality.  
  
" Its this way."  
  
Misao blinked, finding herself heading down the other side of the street as Aoshi began to walk down the other side. Hurrying after him, she continued to stare up at the sky as they walked through the neighbourhood. After a 10 minute walk, Aoshi stopped in front of a large 2-storey home with a wooden plaque mounted on the brick fence clearly stating it was the home of the Shinomori family. Watching as Aoshi pushed open the heavy wooden gate, she was amazed to find that Atsuko's house stood on a veritable compound. There was a lush garden, the house an another building that she was not quite sure what it served as.  
  
She didn't know a lot about Atsuko's family. From what Atsuko had said, it seemed that she lived with her 2 older sisters and brother. Standing at the gate, she made no move to enter the property. Even though she had received a proper invitation from Atsuko, she was not here and Aoshi had made no move to invite her in. Normally, she wouldn't worry and just go right in...but something was stopping her.   
  
Aoshi inserted his key into the keyhole, twisting it and opening the door. From the sounds of it, no one was home yet. Pushing the door open wider, he stopped before going in, noticing the girl standing at the gate out of the corner of his eye.  
  
" You coming?"  
  
The snow was falling slightly thicker than before. Little patches of white could be seen collecting on the road. The temperature was beginning to drop even more so. With this in mind, Misao quickly raced up the steps to follow Aoshi into the house. She tensed when she noticed the silence.  
  
" No one's home?"  
  
" Aaa."  
  
Misao gulped as she took off her shoes, placing neatly and lining them up with the others. What could be worse, being stuck in a house with some pervert guy who roughs people up or freezing outside with the snow waiting for Atsuko. Closing the door behind her, the thud seemed almost ominous, as if it had sealed her fate. Stepping up onto the main floor of the house, she looked cautiously around at the unfamiliar house. Looking down, she saw a pair of slippers lying on the little step in front of her, Aoshi already disappearing through the sliding door directly in front. Sliding into the slippers, she headed for the doorway that Aoshi had disappeared through, finding the kitchen where he was rummaging around the refrigerator. Water seemed to be boiling on the stove already as Aoshi shut the refrigerator. Empty handed, he simply grabbed a package of bread from the center of the dining table, ripping open the package and taking a large bit out of the bread. Throwing one at Misao, he disappeared down the hall, situated on the other side of the door she had gone through earlier. Misao caught the bread cleanly. Looking down at the packaging, the sticker stated it was bread with red bean filling. One of her favourites. Pulling up a chair at the dining table in the middle of the kitchen, she opened the package, biting into the bread, enjoying the flavour. Propping her school bag up against the table leg, she stood up again to turn off the stove. The water had already boiled.   
  
Despite being inside, she was still quite cold. She knew she could definitely go for some hot tea. Looking around the kitchen, she wondered if she should really be helping herself like this.  
  
  
  
Locating the cups, she took one out of the cupboard, placing them on the dining table. Looking around for the teapot, she found it with a bright yellow note stuck on top.   
  
Do not tip out this tea you guys! Its new! - Omasu.  
  
Pulling the note off and removing the lid, she poured the hot water into the teapot, smiling at the aroma and the clouds of steam that puffed up. Closing the lid, she let it sit for the tea to become stronger in flavour. The silence made her uneasy, the house quiet as she stood in the kitchen of a house she had never been to before. Looking through the glass of the cupboard, then down at her single cup, she wondered if she should pour Aoshi one also.  
  
  
  
Misao nodded to herself, moving to take another cup out of the cupboard and setting it next to her own cup. Grabbing a nearby tray, she set the cups and the teapot onto it. Smiling with satisfaction, she picked up the tray and set off cautiously down the hallway, her slippers making a scuffling sound as she walked. She noticed from the cooler temperature that she was walking by the exterior wall of the house, a long line of sliding doors. Walking along, she was grateful to be holding something warm in front of her. She couldn't wait until she could drink some of that hot liquid herself. Ahead of her, she could see one of the panels slid open on the other wall, obviously leading to a room.  
  
" Shinomori...?"  
  
She peeked into the open doorway. A bedroom, the futon neatly folded up in a corner. The desk uncluttered, the walls bare, it almost seemed like no one lived there. However, there were signs, a neatly hung school uniform and a school bag under the table. What hit Misao was the fact that nothing was out of place. Neat and precise.  
  
How very much like him.  
  
  
  
Suddenly she heard a loud series of thuds. Hurrying out of the room, not wanting to be caught inside without permission, she headed for the noise. Going back into the hallway, she slid open a panel to see Aoshi standing outside in the cold throwing a baseball at numbers, chalked on to brick fence in the garden. Without his uniform, wearing a pair of black sweats and a large blue hooded jumper, he looked less threatening. Setting the tray down onto the wooden floor, she sat down, her legs hanging over the side, and poured the tea.  
  
" Shinomori! Have some tea."  
  
In the bitter cold winds and the pretty snow outside, she couldn't decide whether it was a good idea to sit outside or not. Picking up a steamy cup of green tea, she held it out towards him. He stared at her blankly, without emotion. For a second, Misao thought he would refuse her offer as he walked to retrieve his ball. To her surprise he took the tea, putting the ball onto the house floor and sat down next to her, with the tray between them. With him sitting rather close, Misao could see that he definitely felt the cold from the way he was shivering ever so slightly. Setting the cup next to her, she leaned backwards, supporting her body with her arms as she looked up at the sky in a half upright position. A silence passed between them, seeming to last forever. However, it wasn't awkward despite the fact that Misao had mixed feelings about him. Instead, it seemed calming and natural, as if it was an age-old ritual. Despite the comfortable silence, Misao felt the need to make conversation and she had no idea why. Shinomori, to her at least, was definitely not a talker.  
  
" So...you play baseball?"  
  
Misao watched as Aoshi's eye flickered to the baseball lying beside him and then back at the tea cupped in his hands.  
  
" Aaa."  
  
  
  
Misao smiled apologetically, sitting up again to take a sip of her tea.  
  
" Isn't the snow pretty? Its pretty cold these days ay?"  
  
" Aaa."  
  
Obviously, both of them knew that if one was talking about the weather in a conversation, that conversation had hit rock bottom. Without losing hope of a reply of more than one syllable, Misao fired another question.  
  
" I wonder where Atsuko is...the train doesn't come very often...does it?"  
  
" Every one and a half hours."  
  
Misao smiled with satisfaction, grateful for the longer sentence she had gotten in reply. Drinking the rest of her tea, she leaned back again, this time lying back onto the floor with her head propped up on her arms.  
  
" Tell me something. Answer truthfully ok Shinomori?"  
  
His blue eyes flashed, glancing at her for a split second before pouring them both more tea. A mischievous smile played on Misao's lips.   
  
" What's with Shinomori-suki club?"  
  
Misao blinked. For awhile there, she thought she saw him visibly shudder.   
  
" So...whats your answer? I'd really like to know."  
  
" ...it doesn't matter."  
  
" Like hell it doesn't. I have some of the members in my class and they are pretty annoying, you saw them today-"  
  
" They're a nuisance. So why the question?"  
  
Misao was quite taken aback by Aoshi's interruption.  
  
" Well have you ever tried getting rid of them? How about telling them that you don't like them. That usually works."  
  
Aoshi's blood ran cold at her suggestion. All those times he had been forced to...he felt nauseous.  
  
" Tried it."  
  
" Well, I don't really understand why girls like you so much anyway. I mean you're non-sociable, quiet, expressionless, perverted-"  
  
Aoshi stood up, grabbing his ball and putting his cup of tea down, walking back to the line he had made on the cold ground to practice his pitching once more. Misao watched indignantly as he had walked off in a middle of a conversation. She could practically hear the whooshing sound as he brought his hand forward, pitching the ball to make it hurtle towards the large number 3, written in chalk on the top right hand corner of the grid. It hit with a loud smack, bouncing off and rolling back towards him.  
  
  
  
Misao put a hand up to her forehead to see if she had caught a fever. Something was definitely wrong with her. Shrugging, she lay back down, staring at the ceiling. With her legs dangling outside and her upper body in the slightly warmer house, she didn't know whether she was warm or cold.  
  
A loud banging jolted her out of her daze. She looked over at Aoshi who seemed not to notice the loud banging coming from the direction of the door. Deciding she should answer it, she carefully backtracked to the front door. Opening it cautiously, she was surprised to be greeted with 2 girls, both unfamiliar to her. From their uniform, they were obviously from her school.  
  
" Oh thank goodness someone's home...who are you?"  
  
One of the girls with brown eyes stepped forward, her brown hair piled on top of her head elegantly with a clip. The other, blue eyed and with her blue hair tied high up on her head with a ribbon, hovered behind her, eyeing Misao.  
  
" Erm...well..."  
  
Misao was saved from answering when Aoshi appeared behind her, a towel wrapped around his neck and was now only wearing a t-shirt. The brown haired girl looked at her and then at Aoshi.  
  
" No way...You're Aoshi's girlfriend?!"  
  
Misao's jaw dropped as the blue haired girl squealed and hugged her.   
  
" Wow! I'm so surprised Aoshi-san has a girlfriend!"  
  
The brown haired girl looked at Aoshi and frowned slightly.  
  
" Yerr...same here. You been holding out on us little brother?"  
  
The girl turned to Misao, placing her hands squarely on her shoulders and studied her intensely.  
  
" Well well, my brother has good taste. I'm Okon, Aoshi's older sister. You go to our school don't you? I can tell by the uniform."  
  
Misao stood shell shocked as Okon and her friend fussed over her. Aoshi half grunted/laughed, turning to walk away from the scene.  
  
" Baka onna."  
  
" WHO ARE YOU CALLING IDIOT!"  
  
Okon was surprised to hear Misao yell out in unison with her. Aoshi seemed a little shocked too, judging from his posture. He looked over his shoulder, glaring at them.  
  
" Don't leave the door open."  
  
Smirking slightly he began to walk away. He stopped to dodge a flying kick from Misao, despite her uniform, who landed in front of him to block his way.  
  
" Who you calling idiot!? As if I'd want to be mistaken for your girlfriend anyway PERVERT!"  
  
Aoshi looked down at Misao huffing indignantly in front of him with a semi-interested look. Whacking him solidly on the head with the back of her hand, Okon jumped to grab the back of his collar, pulling him backward and down to her level. From the way Aoshi remained balanced, Misao figured that his sister probably did this a lot.  
  
" You two were alone in this house weren't you?! Why'd she call you a pervert!? Huh!?"  
  
Misao's eyes widened, waving her hands in protest.  
  
" No...its not like that."  
  
Okon sighed with relief, letting Aoshi go. Straightening the collar of his t-shirt, he walked past the girls standing in the doorway and walked into the kitchen, this time keeping his opinions to himself.  
  
" So, if you're not Aoshi's girlfriend, then who are you?"  
  
Misao looked at the girl with the blue hair. Bowing slightly, she introduced herself.  
  
" Makimachi Misao. Hajimemashite. I'm Atsuko's classmate."  
  
Okon looked somewhat puzzled, tipping her head to the side.  
  
" I thought Atsuko wasn't home...Well, anyway. I'm Shinomori Okon. I'm in the third year. This is Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
" Nice to meet ya. I'm in second year."  
  
Misao shook hands with them both as they all smiled at each other.  
  
" Atsuko missed the train today...so I came first."  
  
Okon raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
" How did you get here without Atsuko?"  
  
" Oh, I just followed Shinomori...er...-san."  
  
Misao figured that it would be polite to tag something at the end of his name in front of his sister. Kaoru's eyes glazed over with happiness as she placed her hands on Misao's shoulders and shook her.  
  
" You mean Aoshi-san let you follow him? He let you IN?"  
  
Misao looked bewildered and felt slightly dizzy when Kaoru finally let go under Okon's grip.  
  
" Erm...yeh. We talked a bit too. Is that wrong?"  
  
Okon and Kaoru stared dumbly at her. Misao felt a bit scared of their reaction.  
  
" Um...are you guys feeling ok?"  
  
Okon recovered first, shaking her head and giving Misao another once over.  
  
" Sorry...its just a little surprising. But no matter, its not that big a deal."  
  
" Not a big deal! But Okon-"  
  
" Why is everyone in the doorway?"  
  
The trio turned to see Atsuko standing at the doorway, bent over taking off her shoes and reaching for her slippers. It had seemed that they had totally forgotten that they were still standing in the doorway of the house with the door wide open.   
  
The phone rang and Okon rushed off to answer it, dropping her school bag with Kaoru doing the same thing, rushing off after her.   
  
" Well...that was a weird experience."  
  
Atsuko gave her a bewildered look as she picked up the dropped school bags.  
  
" No...nothing. Don't worry about it."  
  
Atsuko shrugged and gestured for Misao to follow her as she closed the door.   
  
" C'mon. Lets go to my room. I'll get the heater going...its so cold outside!!"  
  
Both girls scampered off, through the kitchen, up the stairs and through the first door to the left. The door slid open to reveal a pink bunny paradise. Bedding, curtains, dolls, cushions, all with pink bunnies. Atsuko blushed deeply, putting down her bag and dragging the kotatsu to the middle of the room. Plugging it in, she gestured for Misao to join her at the warm table.  
  
" You think I'm a little...immature don't you?"  
  
Misao marveled the decoration of the room. True, she didn't like pink.  
  
" No. Not at all. I collect Teddy Bears...just pink is not really my colour."  
  
Picking up her bag, she gestured towards the little brown teddy bear attached to the handle of her school bag. Smiling to each other, both enjoyed the warmth of the heater, watching the cool snow falling outside Atsuko's bedroom window.  
  
  
_____  
  
" Well, I'm leaving now, just thought I'd say goodbye."  
  
Misao stood at the doorway of Okon's room where she and Kaoru sat inside reading magazines. Kaoru got up, immediately latching onto Misao's arm.  
  
" Ne ne Misao-chan. You're coming to my Christmas eve party on Sunday aren't you?"  
  
Patting her pocket, she nodded, getting out of Kaoru's grip and stepping slightly backward.  
  
" Of course, I've got your address right here. You live near me remember? I wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
Waving, she walked down the hallway and down the stairs, heading for the main entrance. Standing there was Omasu, Atsuko's eldest sister she had met at dinner. She had already finished college and had just begun to work, helping to support the family.  
  
Putting on her shoes and wrapping her thick scarf around her neck she stood at the doorway waiting for Atsuko.  
  
" Thank you for the lovely dinner Omasu-san. It was very delicious" she said politely.   
  
Omasu smiled, laughing a little.  
  
" I'm glad someone around here appreciates it. Take care now, come by and visit again sometime. You're always welcome here."  
  
Atsuko appeared in the hallway, wearing a long down coat that looked quite enviously warm to Misao, still in her school uniform. Atsuko had said she would accompany Misao down to the train station as Misao had forgotten the way. Waving to Omasu, they set off, closing the door and trudged through the now snowy road.   
  
" Wait, do you hear that?"  
  
Both girls turned around sharply, in time to see a tall figure be pushed from the house. The light disappeared as the sound of a door slammed shut echoed through the streets. The tall figure shrugged on a long coat, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked towards them.  
  
" Nii-chan?"  
  
Walking up to them, Aoshi stared down at them, his skin looking paler than usual.  
  
" She's being pushy."  
  
Atsuko giggled, nodding at Aoshi's words.  
  
" I'm surprised Nee-chan was able to make you come...of course being shoved out onto the street doesn't leave a lot of room for discussion."  
  
Misao inspected Aoshi's face, not knowing whether it was the darkness and the moonlight or the snow that made him look so pale.  
  
" Hey Shinomori, you don't look so good. Go home."  
  
Aoshi's face darkened, Misao feeling the aftereffects of attaining his wrath as Atsuko began to fawn all over him.  
  
" wah! Nii-chan! Daijoubu?"  
  
" Station right?"  
  
Leaving the two girls behind, he walked off heading for the station. The sooner he got this over with, the faster he could go home to his room. With the pair running to catch up, his pace quickened until he got to the street corner and stopped, waiting for them.  
  
" Why do you have to walk so fast Shinomori?!"  
  
Misao stared at Aoshi, seeing the little puffs of her breath in the cold air. She huffed, not only from exertion but also from annoyance. She had no idea why, but every little thing, every detail about this guy seemed to annoy her.  
  
Standing under a yellow streetlight, she now knew her earlier observation was wrong. He looked sick and pale, it wasn't just the snow or the lighting. Looking around, the street seemed vaguely familiar.  
  
" The station is just down this road right?"  
  
When Atsuko nodded, Misao ran off, whacking Aoshi playfully on the arm before waving, running fast down the street towards the station.  
  
" But Misao! We're supposed to...walk you there."  
  
Atsuko trailed off as she watched Misao disappear into the darkness. Sighing, she turned to her brother and chided him.  
  
" Mou...why can't you be nicer to my friend?"  
  
" She isn't nice to me."  
  
Atsuko blushed, refusing to look at her brother.  
  
" Well...you can't blame her...what you did was...really..."  
  
Atsuko turned away from Aoshi, who stared at her quizzically. It was only around his little sister that he really relaxed.   
  
" Really what?"  
  
Aoshi bent down to look at her face, wondering why Atsuko's cheeks were turning red.  
  
" ...perverted."  
  
" what?"  
  
Atsuko waved her hands and spoke, her blush turning deeper.  
  
" No, its nothing. I'm sure you didn't mean to. My Nii-chan isn't that sort of person."  
  
" What person?"  
  
Atsuko shook her head vigorously, grabbing his hand and gasping softly at the icy cold feeling.  
  
" Nii-chan...daijoubu?"  
  
" I'm fine."  
  
Aoshi hated nothing more than to have his sisters' fuss of him like that. However, he regretted his icy reprimand as Atsuko's expression turned from concerned to sad and hurt. He wasn't like this with his older sisters.  
  
" Lets go to the convenience store."  
  
Reaching into his coat pocket, he found 1000 yen note and a few coins. Atsuko lit up, nodding and dragged him along, much happier. Letting her lead him along, Aoshi looked down the empty street which led to the station before turning back to look where he was going. He had in fact heard what Atsuko had said. He really wondered why everyone call him a pervert. Wracking his brain, he tried to remember how he had met that girl. Coming up with nothing by the time they had reached the brightly lit store, he brushed it off, choosing not to think about it anymore. He would need to concentrate on stopping Atsuko from buying too much.   
  
Suddenly, his nose felt extremely sensitive. Moving his hand up just in time, he sneezed. Atsuko dropped the box of mousse pocky into the basket and walked up to him to examine him.  
  
" Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
" I'm fine."  
  
" Well, lets just pay for this and leave. I think you're coming down with a cold."  
  
Reluctantly, Aoshi found himself being pushed around by his youngest sister. If it had been Okon and Omasu, this would never have happened.   
  
_______  
  
The soft yellow light glanced off the red metallic wrapping paper as Misao folded the sides carefully. Taping the ends together, she sighed with satisfaction as she looked at her now wrapped present. Suddenly her mobile phone rang. Frowning as she glanced at the white ribbon which she had yet to tie on, she ran to her bedroom, snatching her phone up from her desk and flipped it open, holding it to her ear.  
  
" Moshi moshi...nii-chan!"  
  
The moment of happiness from hearing her brother's voice passed as she remembered that he had interrupted her in her preperation.  
  
" Yo, Misao. What are you up to?"  
  
" Baka. Don't say ' yo' on the phone. You've just interrupted me. I was wrapping a present."  
  
" What? You mean that grey beanie I saw yesterday? The one with the white pompom?"  
  
" Yep. I told you about the Christmas party remember? It's a present for that."  
  
" Oh yeh. Jeez, I thought you would have wrapped it last night. You're too lazy."  
  
Misao gripped the phone in anger as her face flushed.  
  
" And whose fault was it that I couldn't wrap it last night? You're too messy! I had to clean up after you! And you were only over here for a day visit!"  
  
" calm down...its ok. I take it back. Jeez you get angry real easy don't ya?"  
  
Misao snorted indignantly, loosening her tight grip on her mobile.  
  
" It's just you nii-chan. Anyway, I've got to go. You've caught me at a bad time."  
  
" Wait-"  
  
Quickly pressing the hang up button, she set the phone back on the table and walked back out of the room. After Misao finished wrapping the present, she changed into a fuzzy grey turtle neck and long black pleated skirt. No one would get her outside in a short party dress if she could help it. Comfortable and maneuverable was best. Though she longed to wear jeans, it was a party after all. She pulled her hair out of its braid, shaking it loose and letting it trail down her back in curly waves after its hours in captivity.  
  
Shrugging on her grey coat, she picked up her shoulder bag, putting her phone, wallet and keys inside. Walking out of her room, she picked up the present and walked to the door, putting on a pair of black boots. Locking the door behind her, she once again pulled out another map. She had drawn it herself on Friday night when she had come home after buying her present. The walking route to Kaoru's house.   
  
She sighed happily as she walked through the 3 inch thick snow, staring at the sky as more snow fell. After about half an hour, she finally reached Kaoru's house, checking the family name mounted on the fence. Kamiya dojo. Her eyes widened. Kaoru hadn't told her that her family owned a dojo. But then, she hadn't thought to ask.  
  
Stepping inside the gate, she walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. With the freezing winds blocked by the fence and surrounding buildings, she realized that she had been freezing before. She had been so captivated by the snow's beauty that she had failed to realize that she had become numb. Blowing hot breath onto her hands and rubbing them together vigorously, she huddled in front of the door, waiting for someone to answer the door. The door slid open with a loud rattle, the sounds of music and people chatting drifting out into the cold night. A red haired boy with a nasty looking cross scar on his left cheek answered the door, smiling at her.  
  
" Ano...Is this Kamiya-san's house?"  
  
" Yep! Come on in."  
  
The guy swung open the door, letting her inside into the heat of the house. Herding her into the main room, Misao spotted Kaoru, her eyes lighting up and calling out to her somewhat loudly. Misao stood stock still as Kaoru rushed over to her, with the whole room stopping to stare at her. Misao shrugged, holding her present out to Kaoru as she greeted her.  
  
" Hey Kaoru-chan. Hora."  
  
Kaoru took the present, smiling, taking Misao's hand and dragging her towards the giant decorated tree at the side of the room, Placing the present underneath, Kaoru straightened again and placed her hands on Misao's shoulders. Turning her around, Kaoru spoke from behind her, pointing to the guy who had answered the door from before.  
  
" Ne, Misao-chan. Meet Himura Kenshin." Suddenly, Kaoru's boisterous attitude disappeared as a blush deepened on her face. In a very soft voice, she announced; " my boyfriend."  
  
Kenshin smiled at Misao, bowing slightly. Both exchanged formalities before Kaoru bounded off to answer the door again. Leaving her with Kenshin, who seemed perfectly nice, Misao couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was completely out of place. She knew no one in the crowded room.  
  
" So, you haven't lived here long have you Makimachi-san."  
  
" Misao. Misao will be fine. I used to live in Osaka before I moved here."  
  
" Well since your new, how about I introduce you to some people...Misao?"  
  
Misao smiled, nodding as she followed the red head towards a group of people crowded around a low couch. The only girl was seated primly on the side of the couch, trying to ignore a loud boy with a brown upstyle hairstyle who was joking loudly with the guys standing behind the couch. She recognized them vaguely from seeing them on the baseball field.  
  
" Hey, everyone meet Makimachi Misao."  
  
Misao bowed slightly and smiled brightly at all of them.  
  
" Makimachi Misao desu. Hajimemashite."  
  
Gesturing to each person, Kenshin introduced each one.  
  
" This is the Watanabe brothers Shiro and Kuro"  
  
The slightly heavy guy with small eyes and the other with messy dark hair and a long face nodded at her, giving a slight shy wave.  
  
" This is Takani Megumi."  
  
The girl with the long dark hair looked up at her, giving her an up and down and smiling slightly, extending a hand in an elegant gesture.  
  
" And this is Sagara Sanosuke."  
  
The boy with the upstyle stood up from the couch, winking at her as he gave her a small salute.  
  
" Sano atcha service. How come I've never seen you before? You're pretty, I couldn't have missed ya."  
  
Misao gave him an incredulous look as Megumi stood up and whacked him on the head with the back of his hand.  
  
" Baka!"  
  
" teme! Kitsune!"  
  
Shifting uncomfortably, she looked up at Kenshin for reassurance.  
  
" Um...don't worry. They're always like this." Kenshin reassured Misao before walking up to Sanosuke and Megumi. " Now now...there's nothing to fight about-"  
  
*whack*  
  
" orororororo"  
  
Misao winced as Kenshin went flying, flattened against the wall with Megumi and Sanosuke's lifted fists to blame. Quietly excusing herself from what could potentially be a life threatening situation, she headed for the front door again, where she had spied a place to put her coat. Peeling off her coat, she dumped it on top of the pile before walking back into the room. Finding the couch now abandoned, she got herself a drink and flopped back onto it, letting her hair fall behind the couch instead of her sitting on it. Slowly slipping the cold drink, she stared at the ceiling.  
  
Not that Misao didn't normally enjoy a good party. She just wasn't in a partying mood. She hadn't really been since...Well no use thinking about it. She had come to Kyoto to get away from it.  
  
" Misao-chan!"  
  
Misao straightened and sat higher on the couch instead of slouching to see the person who called out her name. Atsuko was running towards her from the door in the hallway. Behind her stood Aoshi and Okon, who was greeted rather loudly by Kaoru. Aoshi looked less than happy as he walked past both of them and into the party. His baseball team greeted him eagerly.   
  
" Merry Christmas Misao! Here."  
  
Misao looked at the wrapped present Atsuko held out to her. Smiling, she fumbled in her own bag for Atsuko's present, separate from the one she had given to Kaoru earlier. Atsuko took a seat next to her, both of them grinning at each other before tearing into the gifts.  
  
In Misao's arms lay a small teddy bear figurine and in Atsuko's hand was a small bunny necklace. Both girls sweatdropped.  
  
" We think alike don't we?"  
  
" sure do. Thank you! I love it."  
  
" Same here! Oh! Excuse me Misao. I have to go talk to someone."  
  
Misao sighed as Atsuko bounded off into the crowd of people. Swirling the ice cubes the her cup, she watched them intensely as they hit the side of the glass. Suddenly, she felt the other side of the couch sink as someone joined her. Turning, she found Aoshi who sat there bored with a drink in his hand.   
  
" Shinomori."  
  
Before she could stop herself, she had spoken her thoughts. The boy glanced at her, turning his blue eyes on her making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.  
  
" ...Atsuko's friend."  
  
With a surge of annoyance, Misao whacked him on the head, huffing indignantly.  
  
" You know I have a name Shinomori. Use it please. I do not go around calling you Atsuko's brother now do I?"  
  
" Makimachi right?"  
  
" You didn't even remember my name?"  
  
Aoshi froze at her disappointed demeanor. What was with that? One second she's hitting him and then the next, she's disappointed because she thinks he forgot her name?   
  
" How can I forget the name of the person who repeatedly calls me a pervert."  
  
" Hmph. That's because you are one...how's your cold?"  
  
Misao saw a brief flash of annoyance.  
  
" I don't have one."  
  
Ignoring his cold tone, Misao smiled.  
  
" Yokata ne Shinomori."  
  
" Merry Christmas both of ya. Here, pick a present."  
  
Misao and Aoshi looked up to see Kaoru standing in front of them holding a large sack filled with lumpy objects. Peering inside, Misao found the presents which had been sitting under the Christmas tree.   
  
" Misao-chan! You're not allowed to look."  
  
" Gomen."  
  
Kaoru admonished her as she held the bag out to Aoshi. He stared at the proffered bag blankly, not moving to select one.  
  
" Ne...Aoshi-san. You're supposed to take one."  
  
" Jeez why do you have to be so difficult about everything?" Misao asked, muttering her question under her breath.  
  
" Fine."  
  
Aoshi reached forward and grabbed the first present he touched. Kaoru smiled, wishing Aoshi merry Christmas again before moving onto Misao.   
  
Misao reached eagerly into the bag, pulling out a small box wrapped in light blue paper. When Kaoru moved away, Misao looked at the present in her lap. Was it polite for her to open it now? Looking around, she saw Aoshi unwrapping the present he had selected. Suddenly, the urge to open her own present disappeared as she recognized the red wrapping paper. Shoving her own present in her bag, she moved across the couch to sit closer to Aoshi, peering as he finished unwrapping.   
  
" what do you want?"  
  
Misao ignored Aoshi's question as she recognized the familiar beanie in his hands.  
  
" What a coincidence! Here!"  
  
Grabbing the beanie, she promptly placed it on Aoshi, patting his head once she was done. Leaning back, she smiled happily.  
  
" wah! Kawaii!"  
  
Aoshi gave her an incredulous look as he raised a hand to touch the wooly material, almost not believing that he was wearing such a thing.   
  
" Kawaii...?"  
  
Looking up at the girl who had called him cute, he noticed a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Quickly wanting to prevent her morphing into an obsessed fangirl, all of whom started out with a blush such as this, he spoke.  
  
" What coincidence?"  
  
" You picked my present, that's all."  
  
Silence.  
  
Misao turned to look out the window. The snow was falling quite heavily outside now, showing no signs of stopping. She wasn't really having a lot of fun anyway. She had already stayed for long enough to be polite and the snow was falling thicker than ever. Time to get home...otherwise in another hour, she'd be wading knee deep in snow. Standing up, she picked up her bag and waved to Aoshi, moving off to find Kaoru.  
  
" Ja ne Shinomori."  
  
After apologizing to Kaoru for leaving early, she excused herself, telling Kaoru not to worry about accompanying her to the door. Saying goodbye to Okon, she hugged Atsuko goodbye, thanking her for her present once again.  
  
" Are you sure you want to leave early?"  
  
Misao nodded, riffling through the pile of coats to find her own. Once she shrugged it on, she headed for the door, sitting down on the step to put on her shoes.  
  
" Yeh. I have to walk home and I don't want to be caught in a blizzard. You stay and have fun ok?"  
  
Atsuko looked a bit uncertain as glanced outside as Misao opened the door. A gust of cold wind blew inside, making Misao think twice about going home. But it was either that or be stranded.  
  
" Well...call me when you get home ok?"  
  
" I'll try...but somehow I don't think the call will go through. Anyway, Merry Christmas Atsuko-chan. Oyasumi."  
  
" Oyasumi."  
  
Atsuko waved as Misao shut the door and walked off into the night. Walking back to the group she was talking to before, she noticed that her sister had left.  
  
" Ne, Arisa. Where's nee-chan?"  
  
The blond girl shrugged, tipping her head sideways in deep thought.  
  
" I don't really know. She walked off with a sort of evil smirk on her face. Looks like Okon is up to something again."  
  
Sighing, Atsuko chose to leave it at that. She did not want to get involved in one of Okon's schemes...and she pitied whoever Okon had gone after.  
  
____  
  
  
" Aoshi!"  
  
Aoshi looked up to see his sister walking towards him. Quickly, he stood, hoping to walk off before she reached him. She had that look in her eyes again. He hated that look. It meant she was planning something, and from the looks of it, she wanted him to be involved.  
  
" Matte!"  
  
Aoshi sighed as he felt Okon tug at the back of his shirt. Turning around, drink in hand, he downed it before glaring at his sister. So much for the get away.  
  
" You know...from the way you took off, it almost seemed that you were afraid of me."  
  
" I know how to avoid trouble. It has nothing to do with fear and you."  
  
Okon smirked at him, crossing her arms and looking up at his head.  
  
" Where'd you get that beanie?'  
  
Aoshi lifted a hand to pull it off his head, shoving it halfway into his pocket.  
  
" Present. What do you want?"  
  
There it was again. That dangerous glint in her eye.  
  
" I have a proposition for you."  
  
" If its to try and set me up with any of your friends, the answer is no. If its to get me to let down one of your friends easy after a love confession no. It never works."  
  
Okon reached out to pat her brother on the shoulder.  
  
" Nope. Its none of those things. All you have to do is walk Misao home."  
  
" Misao...you mean Makimachi?"  
  
Okon nodded, taking him by the hand and attempted to drag him to the door.  
  
" I haven't agreed yet."  
  
" The key word is yet!"  
  
" I'm not going. This is another one of those matchmaking schemes. I can tell."  
  
Okon looked innocently at him, pouting as she did so. She turned away, scowling as Aoshi simply glared at her. Somehow, she couldn't achieve the same effect her little sister did when she pouted at their brother.  
  
" This is not just to my advantage you know."  
  
" What's in it for me?"  
  
5 minutes later, Aoshi found himself standing outside with his coat and shoes, the door closed in his face by Okon. Sighing, he shrugged his long coat on and put on his shoes, taking up a quick running pace to catch up to Misao. Knowing he had remembered the direction carefully, he swore as he couldn't see more than 3 feet in front of him with the falling snow. The tall layer of snow on the ground weren't helping matters any.  
  
" Who's there?"  
  
A female voice called out to him, half cautious and half threatening.  
  
" Makimachi."  
  
He walked forwards, spotting a figure in grey.  
  
" Shinomori? What are you doing here?"  
  
Misao stared up at Aoshi as he walked by her and kept walking.  
  
" Hey! Can't you at least stop and acknowledge me?"  
  
Aoshi stopped, turning back to look at her as a gust of wind tousled his hair.  
  
" I'm here to walk you home."  
  
Misao stared skeptically at Aoshi who glared at her in return.  
  
" Why do I have a nagging feeling that there's more to this than meets the eye?...don't worry. You can go back now. Tell whoever forced you to come that I sent you back."  
  
Misao took a slight step back as Aoshi stared at her intensely.  
  
" If I walk you home I get to leave the party early. I get my sister off my back. Understand?"  
  
Watching Aoshi closely, Misao brightened with a smile, noticing the beanie sticking out of this pocket as the wind blew his unbuttoned coat back. Walking forward, she reached for the beanie and shoved it onto his head, covering his ears and eyes as she did so.  
  
" I like people who are honest Shinomori. If that's the case, then lets go. The faster I get home the faster you can go home right?"  
  
Aoshi listened to Misao's footsteps as the hat obstructed his view. He pulled it up slightly so he could see without making a move to take it off. He rather enjoyed the warmth as he walked behind Misao in silence.   
  
After what seemed like hours, which wasn't too far from the truth, Misao broke the silence, muttering under her breath as she pulled her coat tighter around her.  
  
" jeez...it's freezing."  
  
" How much further?"  
  
Misao stopped, peering around at the white that blanketed everything in sight.  
  
" Well its taken a lot longer to walk home than to get to Kaoru's in the first place. But I'd say...yes! There's the train station."  
  
Misao waited for Aoshi to stand next to her before pointed. Ever so slightly, Aoshi saw the faint outline of the shiny JR sign.  
  
" You can go now. I live just down there a little ways so don't bother."  
  
Aoshi nodded slightly, giving her a small wave over his shoulder as he headed towards the train station. Misao headed for a convenience store opposite the train station. Looking out warily into the snow, she knew she should buy whatever supplies she needed just in case. Paying for her purchases, she walked out of the store, the store clerk's farewell fading as the automatic doors closed behind her.  
  
She could hear faint snatches of conversation. Wanting to find out who was still outside in this weather, she walked forward slightly. She saw Aoshi, now seated on the train station steps. Quickly running through the snow towards him, she bent over slightly, dropping her bags at his feet and panted with exertion. Running through knee-deep snow was no easy feat.  
  
" Why are you still here?"   
  
" I could ask the same question! I thought you were going home. Why are you just sitting here?"  
  
" Trains stopped running."  
  
" Why don't you head back-"  
  
" It's too late to go back to Kaoru's. The snow's deeper now."  
  
Misao checked her watch. It was already 10pm. Apparently, it had taken them almost 2 hours to walk back from Kaoru's opposed to her half an hour to get there earlier that evening. Aoshi was right, there would be no way he could make it there.   
  
What should she do?  
  
A moment of indecision, then determination. Grabbing her bags with her left hand, she tugged on his arm with her right hand.  
  
" Come on, get up."  
  
" Why?"  
  
" You're not seriously thinking of sitting there all night are you? With the way this snow is falling, you'll be lucky if you can get a train tomorrow morning."  
  
Aoshi sat stoicly, ignoring Misao's incessant tugging. A vein appeared on her forehead.  
  
" If you're stupid enough to wait here-" Misao stopped, taking a deep breath to calm herself. " Never mind. I'm not going to get mad at you. Come on, you're coming with me."  
  
Reluctantly, Aoshi got to his feet as he tired of Misao's incessant tugging. She tried to take his hand but he slapped her hand away.  
  
" You know, you really have to work on your people skills Shinomori. But since you walked me home, regardless of ulterior motives, I'm not about to let you turn into a human icicle sitting out here, despite the fact that you rather resemble one."  
  
Grabbing him by the hand, she pulled him out into the street, heading home.  
  
" Where are we going?"  
  
Without stopping, Misao answered him in a loud voice to be heard through the gusting wind.  
  
" You're staying over tonight. At my house."  
  
  
End Chapter 2. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Mi-chan's house.  
  
The metal stairs gleamed with ice as the snow continued to fall. Despite his long legs and tall height, the stairs seemed endlessly high and long, even though a girl was happily rushing up them.   
  
" Come on, hurry up. All the cold air is going to get in."  
  
Gripping the metal railing, Aoshi walked steadily up the stairs, not flinching at the searing cold of the metal. He walked to the open doorway where he had seen that girl disappear into. He hovered at the door, looking down to see the girl's discarded shoes.  
  
" Close the door will ya? You're letting in the cold."  
  
He bent slightly to pass under the doorframe while he observed the room. It was a small and modest apartment, but he couldn't really expect it to be any bigger for one person to live in. Looking around the room, he couldn't see Misao anywhere. Quickly closing the door, shivering as he felt the last gust of wind disappear, he relaxed. Misao appeared from what seemed like the bathroom, throwing a towel at him. He caught it easily, still standing at the door as Misao reached for the TV remote which lay on the couch. The items she had bought from the store still lay beside the doorway.  
  
" Oh oops."  
  
Flipping on the television, she tossed the remote down again before walking towards him, picking up her groceries in one clean swipe, setting down on the kitchen counter barely visible to him before disappearing into an unknown room. Aoshi stood somewhat awkwardly in the doorway wondering what to do next. Coughing softly, he raised the towel to his wet hair and started rubbing it vigourously. When he was satisfied that his hair was as dry as it was going to get, he looked up to see Misao holding out a pile of neatly folded clothes to him.  
  
" My brother left these here. They should fit you…I hope. It beats staying in those wet clothes anyway. The bathroom is just behind me here so you can change in there and take a shower or something. Do you need to call your sisters?"  
  
Aoshi stared at Misao incredulously. He wondered how this girl could be so open about inviting him to stay. Feeling the cold wind flowing through the crack between the wall and the door, he couldn't exactly complain. Taking the clothes he walked towards the bathroom.  
  
" No. Don't call them."  
  
Misao watched the door close and lock with a click. That click sounded with an amazing finality, almost as if it had sealed her fate.  
  
Makimachi Misao. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!  
  
Comments such as these were the only thing racing through her mind. Was she crazy? Inviting a guy to stay over at her house alone. Usually she wouldn't have minded if it was back in Osaka and it was a close friend but this was ridiculous. This was a guy she barely knew, had spoken no more than a handful of sentences to and had barely gotten any reply. This was a guy she was still on last name basis with, and a pretty impolite name basis at that.   
  
" I thought I couldn't stand the guy."  
  
Walking into the kitchen, she shoved a saucepan under the running tap and moved to boil some water. She let the heavy saucepan whack heavily against the stove as she flicked it on with annoyance.  
  
" I can't stand this guy. So why is he here?!"  
  
He had accused her of being part of his dodgy fan club. He had accused her of being a stereotypical groupie befriending his sister just to get to him. The indignity of it all…and yet, she couldn't find a way to hate him. Annoyed yes…but hate was a bit too powerful.   
  
She quickly cracked eggs into the hot pan while reaching for the ramen packets. Dropping the noodle in, she placed the lid on the saucepan once more, still holding the chopsticks clenched between her teeth.  
  
Pulling two bowls out of the cupboard, she slammed them onto the table with a loud whack. Expertly flipping the eggs and adding a bit of meat to the pan, she grabbed the handle of the saucepan and pulled the chopsticks from her mouth. Moving quickly, she managed to separate the noodles into the two bowls equally. Shoving the saucepan into the sink with a loud clang, she scooped the eggs and meat to the edge of the pan and turned back to the noodles on the table to add the soup packets.  
  
The click sounded again and in a cloud of steam, a figure emerged with a towel draped casually across his shoulders.  
  
" Are you usually this loud when you cook?"  
  
Misao stared at his tilted head, wishing she could whack him with the pan she was holding. She was at least cooking for them both after all. The least he could have done was be a little grateful. He probably thought that she was part of his fan club.  
  
" I'm not part of your dodgy fan club get it! You don't have to eat it if you think I'm loud!"  
  
Putting down the pan, she turned his back to him. Turning back to eat her noodle, she found that he had already begun to devour his bowl of ramen. Taking a seat, she reached for her own bowl and began eating. She looked at him warily as she lifted the noodles to her lips. He ate slowly, as if he was pacing himself. Not a single drop of soup splashed onto the table as the noodles disappeared into his mouth.  
  
" What?"  
  
Misao reddened, flustered at being caught staring.  
  
" Nothing."  
  
Studying her noodle intensely, she raised another mouthful to her lips, slurping it and savoring its warmth. In her second mouthful, she looked up again to find Aoshi lying back against his chair silently, arms crossed watching her eat. Staring at her half full bowl and his finished bowl, chopsticks neatly placed on top, she wondered how on earth he had managed to eat so damned quickly.  
  
Stop it Misao. You're looking too much into things.  
  
Shaking her head, she gestured towards the living room.  
  
" Go watch some television or something. I've still got to wash up."  
  
Seeming a bit reluctant to move, Misao made a shooing motion. Aoshi stood up slowly, picking up his bowl and chopsticks and putting it in the sink Pushing back his sleeves, he moved his left hand to turn on the tap.   
  
" Just leave it there. I'll do it."  
  
Aoshi gave no sign of acknowledging Misao's request. Instead, he turned on the tap, not recoiling at the icy cold water as he stuck his hands under the cold flow. Misao's annoyance surged before dropping as Aoshi turned the tap off, wiping his wet hands on his pants and walking out of the room.  
  
Does he do that on purpose? Does he always have to annoy her?  
  
You betcha.  
  
Misao snickered, smiling to herself.   
  
" I've gone crazy. Absolutely crazy."  
  
Humming to herself, she winced at the cold water pouring from the tap as she washed the dishes. Drying her hands on her pants, she pulled a pack of cards out of the cupboard and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
" How about some cards?"  
  
Aoshi, seated at the kotatsu, looked up from the television screen looking a little flushed.  
  
" what?"  
  
That was all he said before slumping over, his head hitting the table with a loud thud.  
  
  
  
" Are you ok Shinomori? Oi?"  
  
Misao drops the cards and runs over, kneeling beside him and heaved back his shoulders with all her might. Taking a close look at his face, she could tell he was sick before she even felt for his temperature.   
  
" BAKA! Why do you have to get sick now?"  
  
Touching his skin, she could tell he had an abnormally high temperature.  
  
" Shinomori? Can you move?"  
  
" uhh…err…"  
  
Aoshi fell backward, another loud thud sounded in Misao's ears as his shoulder's hit the floor.  
  
Damnit.  
  
  
  
There was no way she could move him, it was hard enough to keep him upright. Thinking fast, she ran to the bathroom, grabbing her face towel and a small wash basin. She turned on the tap to find no water was coming out, hot or cold. Just as she had thought her luck had hit rock bottom, an electrical dzzztt left her in complete darkness.  
  
" why me?"  
  
She asked aloud as she walked out of the bathroom. Heading for the kitchen to find some candles, she tripped over a large 'lump' on the floor.  
  
" …watch where you're going baka."  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow, heaving the washbasin to smack Aoshi on the face as she climbed off him.  
  
Funny how he was so sick and still managed to insult her.  
  
Hurrying into the kitchen, swearing as she hit various tables and chairs, she smiled as she managed to light a candle. She walked back into the main room, kicking the kotatsu as far away from Aoshi as possible. Setting the candle safely down, she lit a few more before grabbing the hand basin. At the door, she hesitated. Swallowing her fear, she swung open the door, moving quickly to gather snow from the ground outside before racing up the steps and back into her apartment again. Heaving the door shut with a shaky sigh, she walked over to Aoshi and set the basin, now filled with snow, down. Moving to her room, she grabbed her blankets from her futon and dumped them over Aoshi's body. Eyeing the basin filled with snow swimming in icy water, she gulped.  
  
" You have to do it Makimachi Misao. If Shinomori doesn't survive, Atsuko will kill you!"  
  
That was all the self motivation she needed. Grabbing her face towel, she stuck it in the icy cold water, gasping in pain as her skin made contact with the water. She sat, cross legged in front of Aoshi, pulling his head into her lap with great difficulty before beginning to mop his face with the cold towel.  
  
This was going to be a long night.  
  
________  
  
One eye lazily opens as Aoshi awakens. Feeling the urge to sneeze as hair tickled his face, he closed his eye, lifting a hand to brush the hair away from his face and gingerly touch his forehead as he groaned.  
  
What a killer headache.  
  
Letting his hand fall back down to his side, he moved his head, wondering when he had managed to get such a comfortably warm pillow and his hair had grown so long. He opened his eyes, his body stiffening as he looked straight up, seeing a face looking down at him.   
  
" Oh…its just a girl's hair falling over my face…."  
  
Lifting his left hand again, he gently pushed away her hair which had obstructed her face from his view. In the darkness, he could only see her pale complexion, almost glowing. He gently traced the outline of the girl's face, shocked at the coolness of her skin.   
  
" Mou…yamete nii-chan….give me 5 minutes."  
  
She spoke softly in her sleep, biting Aoshi on the hand. Aoshi frowned, extricating his hand.  
  
"…Makimachi."  
  
He sat up, careful not to hit her and looked around to orientate himself. He was still in her apartment. When his eyes fell upon the washbasin, he figured what had happened. Turning around to look at Misao, he found that she had already fallen over onto her side, still fast asleep. He got up, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head and threw the covers over Misao's small body, picking her up and walked towards her room. Placing her gently onto her futon, he walked towards the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside. Despite the lack of street lighting and the heavy clouds overhead, the street seemed to glow with the white snow piling up all around.   
  
He yawned, stretching his body. Pulling on the soaked collar of his shirt, he took it off, knowing full well that if he stayed in it, he'd get even more sick. Looking around for his coat, he swore under his breath as he found it to be still slightly damp. Now stuck in the dark, cold, shirtless, Aoshi became desperate. He dragged a hand through his hair, his fringe wet from the cool water he had been toweled with. Looking around Misao's room, he noticed a large shadowy lump in the corner. A gigantic teddybear. Deciding quickly, he walked back out into the living room, picking up the towel which he had used to dry his hair earlier before returning to Misao's room. Flopping down onto the floor, he wrapped the towel over his shoulders and leaned back against the giant stuffed animal, sinking into it's furry embrace comfortably before closing his eyes and falling asleep.  
  
______________  
  
Doorbell.  
  
Mobile phone ringing.  
  
Pounding on the door.  
  
What does one have to do around here to get some sleep?  
  
Lazily getting to his feet, Aoshi walked blindly towards the source of the loud banging.   
  
" Anyone home!?"  
  
A loud female voice boomed, knocking Aoshi out of his stupor as he pulled open the door and glared at the person standing in the doorway. A blast of freezing wind almost blew him over as he asked menacingly;  
  
" What the hell do you want?"  
  
" …who…is it?"  
  
Aoshi turned around to see Misao completely wrapped in a mountain of blankets staring at him with bleary eyes.  
  
" KYAHHH!"  
  
Quickly turning around, he wondered why the person at the door had screamed. Before he could say anything, that person had him in a headlock.  
  
" Talk Aoshi. What the hell did you two do last night?"  
  
" Nothing. Let me go."  
  
Aoshi began to cough violently as he breathed in more cold air.  
  
" Kyaah! Okon nee-chan let nii-chan go!"  
  
Atsuko popped up, hurrying to shut the door and getting her sister to release Aoshi from her headlock.  
  
" err…nii-chan…why don't you have a shirt on? Its very cold."  
  
As if on cue, Aoshi sneezed. Misao threw one of her blankets at his head. Wrapping it around his shoulders, he sauntered off to the bathroom in search for tissue, leaving Misao along in Okon's firing line.  
  
" Ok Misao-chan. Fess up. What happened between you two yesterday night?"  
  
Misao shook her head and waved her two hands in a clear gesture.  
  
" Absolutely nothing."  
  
Okon walked up close, peering at Misao with a mischievous glint in her eye.  
  
" I walk in to see my brother half naked and you completely covered in blankets emerging from the bedroom. What am I supposed to think?"  
  
Atsuko flushed a fierce red and shook her head vigourously.  
  
" Sonna! Nii-chan and Misao-chan wouldn't do something like that…would you?"  
  
  
  
Misao shook her head, appalled by Atsuko's question.  
  
" Of course not! Anyway you should take him home. He was pretty sick yesterday."  
  
Atsuko gasped and rushed off to find her brother who had just come out of the bathroom. With her fawning over him, Okon sighed.  
  
" Well I guess we'd better get going. Omasu is waiting downstairs in the car."  
  
" Car? You mean the roads have been cleared?"  
  
" Of course. Its almost 5 in the afternoon now."  
  
" You're kidding!"  
  
Okon smiled and showed Misao her watch. Watching Atsuko lead Aoshi out of the apartment, blanket and all, Okon put a hand on Misao's shoulder.  
  
" Thanks for taking care of him. Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself?"  
  
Misao nodded and waved Okon out the door. She watched as the car pull away through her bedroom window. Looking down at the floor, she saw her mobile phone. Picking up and flipping it open, she stared, shocked at what it said on her screen.  
  
30 missed calls.  
  
Quickly pressing the button on the phone, the screen showed only one name.  
  
Nii-chan.  
  
Misao sighed as she pressed the dial button, putting the phone up to her ear. There would be hell to pay…and she was to one who would be put through the slaughter.  
  
_______  
  
1 week later. Monday.  
  
  
  
Misao walked briskly up the sidewalk, hoping to get to school as quickly as possible. She couldn't wait to bask in the warmth of the school's air conditioning. Suddenly, she was glad that her grandfather and brothers had been so insistant on her going to a 'higher class' school such as this.  
  
" Ohayo!!"  
  
Misao looked up from the ground to see a car pass by, a familiar face waving wildly at her. The car pulled to a stop a few meters in front of her at the school entrance. The right passenger door swung open and Aoshi stepped out of the car, followed by Atsuko. When Misao walked up alongside the car, she could see Omasu in the drivers seat and Okon looking at her meekly, bundled up in blankets and coats and looking rather sick. Atsuko slammed the door shut and the car took off again.  
  
" Ohayo."  
  
Aoshi glanced at her for a second and nodded before walking off, his backpack strewn casually over his left shoulder.   
  
" Ohayou gozaimasu Misao-chan."  
  
Atsuko brushed the bottom of her skirt with her hand before bowing deeply.  
  
" eh? What's wrong Atsuko? What are you doing?"  
  
" Gomen nasai! Honto ni gomen ne! Because of what my sister has said….i'm so sorry!"  
  
Misao reached out to touch Atsuko on the shoulder. Atsuko quickly straightened, moving quickly enough to escape Misao's grasp and ran into the school, leaving Misao standing alone, bewildered.  
  
What was that all about?  
  
" Weird."  
  
Sighing, Misao headed inside the school.  
  
" Psst did you hear…"  
  
" Oh my god wait til you hear…"  
  
" I'm going to kill her! She's soooo lucky."  
  
" I think that she must have done something indecent."  
  
" Totally…"  
  
" Did you hear?"  
  
" did you?"  
  
Excited whispers went on all around her, groups of people huddle together and their heads close exchanging secrets beyond her understanding.  
  
Its too early. Like she could give a damn.  
  
Walking inside, she tossed her book bag onto the floor, moving her right hand to open the door to her shoe locker. She paused, her fingers grasping the door knob.  
  
" Why does it feel like everyone is looking at me?"  
  
Looking to her left, she tried to catch the eye of the girl next to her. The girl stared at her for a second before quickly turning away. Suddenly the sounds of whispering became louder and louder, rushing through Misao's ears in a loud churning sound.  
  
" Did you know?"  
  
" What a …"  
  
" She must have…"  
  
" Ugh that is such a …"  
  
" I didn't think she'd act like…"  
  
" she'll stop at …"  
  
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she opened the cubby hole door, reaching inside for her cloth shoes.   
  
What the hell!?  
  
Pulling her shoes out for a closer look, she saw that they were completely soaked. She could hear snickering and tittering around her. Turning around sharply to see who had been the culprit, the crowd quickly disappeared, not giving her a second glance. Sighing, she resolved to go and get a new pair from the office. Not that she had much choice anyway.  
  
With brand new white cloth shoes, Misao headed back to the classroom, only to be stopped by none other than the class 1-B division of the Shinomori-suki fan club.   
  
" What did you do to our beloved Aoshi-sama!?"  
  
The girl with the red curls rushed forward and shoved her backwards, her red, manicured fingernails digging into her shoulder. Misao brushed her off, taking the girl's wrist and forcing her backward.  
  
" You're invading my personal space Yamamoto. Watch yourself."  
  
The red head snorted, tossing her dyed hair over her shoulder and sneering at her.  
  
" Aoshi-sama is-"  
  
" That's enough Yuki-chan."  
  
The blond stepped forward, gently pushing her lackey behind her. The other, with short brown hair held her red-head friend back.  
  
" Makimachi-san, did you do anything indecent with our idol?"  
  
Misao crossed her arms and glared at the trio.  
  
" Look. I'm not in the mood for this. Why the hell would you suggest that I did something …something…indecent with that icicle?!"  
  
" You don't have to lie. We know you did."  
  
" Well you'd better get a new source of information because you're totally wrong."  
  
" Am I? We know about Kamiya-san's party."  
  
Misao's eyes widened, her jaw dropping in disbelief.  
  
" How did you find out about that?"  
  
Suddenly, the red head broke free, lunging for Misao.  
  
" I knew it! You tramp!"  
  
" Get ahold of yourself Yuki!"  
  
The blond scolded Yuki, pushing her back into the clutches of her brown haired friend.  
  
" Makimachi-san…you didn't think no one would find out did you?"  
  
The sound of the ringing bell was music to Misao's ears. She felt sick, quickly pushing past the fan club and walking towards her seat.  
  
This is going to be a long day. Very long.  
  
Sitting down, Misao leaned forward, resting her head on her desk. Tilting her head up, she caught the sight of Atsuko, constantly turning her head to look warily at her.  
  
" What's with her today? She barely said anything before she raced off by herself this morning…what did she say?"  
  
Because of what my sister has said….I'm so sorry!  
  
Misao's eyes widened, straightening up and pushing back her chair with a loud scraping sound which silenced the loud chatter of her classmates. She glared at Atsuko who seemed to wince and shrink in her seat.  
  
" Atsuko!!!!"  
  
Suddenly the classroom door slid open with a loud rattle. Everyone quickly sat down, afraid to be in the presence of such a person.  
  
" Makimachi, you can sort out your petty problems later. Take a seat."  
  
Misao glared at Atsuko before turning to Saitou with a death glare. Sitting down in a huff, she clenched her teeth, now knowing why it seemed the whole school was against her this morning.  
  
When homeroom was over, Misao was the first one out the door for gym period, avoiding Atsuko who seemed to be trying to follow her with puppy dog eyes. Dumping her gym clothes on a bench, she proceeded to change into them.   
  
" Ano…Misao-chan…"  
  
Atsuko approached her cautiously, her apprehension visible as she nervously wrung her hands.  
  
" I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Misao placed her uniform and shoes inside a vacant locker, slamming the metal door shut before stalking out of the room.  
  
_________  
  
PHWEEEETTT  
  
The gym teacher blew the whistle, clapping her hands and told everyone to hi the change rooms. Misao slowed to a stop, bending over and breathing hard after a long run. A shadow cast over her.  
  
" I don't want to talk right now."  
  
" I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that tone with me Makimachi."  
  
Misao looked up, startled to see the teacher looking down at her, one hand holding a clipboard to her hip.  
  
" Sumimasen sensei. I thought you were someone else."  
  
The teacher laid a hand on her back, patting it gently.  
  
" I know that…well…you'll be having a lot of problems with your friends right now. So if you ever need any help you can come and talk to me or another sensei. You know that right?"  
  
Problems was a major understatement.   
  
" Oh…don't worry about it. I'll be fine…I'll sort it out by myself…well have to run. Can't be late for class!"  
  
Misao smiled before racing off towards the change rooms through a now empty athletics field. Walking towards the locker she had put her stuff in, most of the girls still inside cleared out quickly. Suspicion and fear gripped her as she pulled open the door.  
  
There was nothing. Nothing to surprise her. Nothing to frighten her.  
  
But nothing is nasty all the same.  
  
Misao sighed, staring at disbelief that someone had actually been moronic enough to take her school uniform. She turned abruptly to search for the culprit, only to find the whole room completely empty. Turning back, she looked down at the floor of the locker.  
  
Well. At least her shoes were still there.  
  
Doing a quick scan of the room, she spied a blue sleeve peeking out of a rubbish bin. Quickly pulling it out, she dusted it off, checking for any dirty parts. Looking back down to inspect the bin, she found it was completely empty and had probably been clean.  
  
" Clean or not, I have no choice but to put it on."  
  
Quickly glancing at her watch, she let out a squeak. IN a flurry of activity, she quickly changed, not bothering to fold her gym clothes and raced back to her classroom with the bundle in her hand. To her relief, the teacher had not arrived yet. She scanned the room, wondering why all the girls were sitting there glaring at her with a smile on their face, giggling and snickering amongst themselves/  
  
" They've done something again."  
  
She looked in the direction of her seat, only to find it missing. A big gaping hole in the seating arrangement. Dumping her things in the space that her now missing desk had left, she stalked back to the front of the room.  
  
She brought her fist down on the table hard and fast, a loud boom noise. Satisfied that everyone's attention was on her, she proceeded to speak.  
  
" I've had enough of your stupid pranks. I don't know what you expect to get out of it. However, whatever it is, I won't give you the satisfaction."  
  
Yuki, sitting in the far left corner snorted, twisting a red curl on her finger before laughing at her. Standing up, she pulled the chair in front of her and put her left leg up on it, leaning forward and putting her left hand on her leg in an offensive stance.  
  
" We want you out of school. No less. Be prepared slut."  
  
" Like I said. I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."  
  
The door slid open again with a loud bang. A tall figure with slicked back hair stepped into the room, his arms crossed.  
  
" Well well. I see we're having problems today."  
  
No one dared to make a sound as Saitou walked into the room, scanning the room to absorb every detail.  
  
" Makimachi, I believe that is where I sit."  
  
Misao nodded cautiously, letting out a sigh of relief as Saitou turned back to look at his class.  
  
" Yamamoto that is not the proper way for ladies to stand. I suggest you take a seat. Why is there a missing desk? You. Right there. Tell me."  
  
The boy sitting at the desk in the second row gulped, trying to move as far back as possible from Saitou's face. Saitou bent down, moving in closer to intimidate the male student.  
  
" Erm…ano…"  
  
" Its nothing. I seemed to have misplaced my desk. I'll go get a replacement."  
  
Misao walked over to Saitou, placing her hand on the students desk before moving towards the door.  
  
" Did I say you could go Makimachi? I don't care who, what or how this happened. But if I don't see a desk materialize in 5 minutes, I'm holding you all for detention."  
  
Saitou straightened, walking back up towards his desk.  
  
" hmph. Let the stupid girl get her own desk."  
  
Saitou's eyes narrowed as he pivoted on his heal to catch the one who could not hold their mouth.  
  
" Ahh…Yamamoto. Thank you for volunteering. I trust that you'll easily find a replacement. In the meantime, you make take Yamamoto's desk Makimachi."  
  
Misao grinned at this weird twist of fate. Quickly dumping the stuff inside Yamamoto's desk ceremoniously on the floor, she moved the desk to her former position before taking a seat with a satisfied smirk on her face.  
  
Right back in your face Yamamoto.  
  
_______  
  
" Kyaaah! Shinomori-sama!!! Is it true that you're really together with that girl?"  
  
" Tell me it isn't so!"  
  
" Damn you Shinomori! Do you have to take every single available girl in this school?!"  
  
" Yeh! You should share more!"  
  
Aoshi slowly made his way down the third floor hallway, trying to ignore the sea of people asking him questions and threatening him. A vein appeared on his forehead as he turned around at all of them and narrowed his eyes, speaking in a low, flat voice.  
  
" You want to make something of it?"  
  
Shaking off the fangirl's clutches, Aoshi grabbed the nearest complaining guy by the collar. The guy began to sweat profusively, holding his hands up and waving them to suggest surrender.  
  
" Maa…Aoshi-san. Lets go back to the classroom…leave the guy alone."  
  
The insane glint in Aoshi's eyes disappeared as he dropped the guy on the floor and proceeded back on his path. Kenshin quickly blocked the path, suggesting that the crowd give Aoshi some space.  
  
With his left hand in one pocket, Aoshi pulled aside the door with his right hand and stepped inside. A happy go lucky Sano walked up, casually draping an arm over Aoshi's shoulder.  
  
" So did you get some Shinomori?"  
  
Aoshi shrugged off Sano's arm and proceeded towards his seat.  
  
" You know? With that Makimachi girl?"  
  
Aoshi quickly turned around, grabbing Sano by the collar and smashed him up against the wall, his eyes gleaming with anger.  
  
" Don't mess around with me Sano. I'm not one for your childish games."  
  
Sano shoved Aoshi backwards, straightening his tie and collar before shaking a fist at him.  
  
" Me childish? I'm only asking you if you got-"  
  
" Maa maa…Sano…Aoshi-san. Lets calm down. Class is about to start de gozaru."  
  
" Che. What the hell is his problem…"  
  
Kenshin quickly pushed Sano back towards his own seat as Aoshi sat down on his, leaning against the back of his chair and looked sullenly out the window.  
  
________  
  
Human tolerance doesn't last forever. In fact, it doesn't last very long at all. With her patience wearing thin, Misao caught the latest ball of paper thrown at her and flicked it onto the floor. The math teacher had no idea what was going on and it had already been 2 periods since her female classmates cut her a break. Having enough, she stood up, walking towards the back door and excusing herself quietly without waiting for the teacher's permission.   
  
" Makimachi! Where do you think you're going?"  
  
The teacher placed her math book down on the table and snapped the piece of chalk in half in annoyance. Atsuko, sitting at the front row, had turned around to watch worriedly at Misao's sudden exit from the classroom. Sitting at the front, she could not see what happened behind her.  
  
" Ano…sensei…may I go-"  
  
Looking up, the teacher waved a hand at her to cut Atsuko off.  
  
" Wait your turn Shinomori. Yamamoto put her hand up first."  
  
" May I go to the ladies room sensei?"  
  
" Can it wait?"  
  
Yuki smiled sweetly, shaking her head.  
  
" Ok. Go."  
  
Yuki rose from her seat quickly and left the room. Atsuko frowned slightly before raising her hand.  
  
" Hai Shinomori?"  
  
" May I go as well? Misao-"  
  
Picking up the math book again and taking out a new piece of chalk, the teacher turned back towards the blackboard.  
  
" I think there has been enough people leaving my class already. You may leave when Yamamoto comes back. Now lets go back to math…"  
  
_____  
  
" Argh! What is with this stupid school!"  
  
Misao trudged down the stairs loudly, bringing her feet down heavily, step by step. It seemed everyone was against her. The male student body was too scared to approach her now that she was 'Shinomori's woman' and the fact that such an action would incur the wrath of most if not all of the female population. All the girls in the school were either scared, nasty or ignoring her. But despite all this, Misao wondered how much she really cared about the approval of the whole school.  
  
Well, it would be hard to stay if the whole student population wouldn't talk to her.  
  
Pushing open the doors to the cafeteria, she headed straight for the vending machines. Shoving coins inside and pushing the button, she waited for her hot chocolate. Picking up the paper cup, she headed outside towards the school sports field, reluctant to go back to class. She headed down the short cut between the school building and the gym when someone gave her a hard shove from behind.  
  
The hot liquid sloshed out of the cup, burning her hand and staining her shirt as she stumbled, putting her hands out to brace herself for the impact. She could see a crowd of people surround her as she picked herself up off the ground.  
  
" Hey what's your problem!?"  
  
The group surrounding her hovered closer, preventing her from standing up. Two of the girls grabbed her roughly by each arm, holding her steady as the rest of the group parted. Misao struggled vainly, looking up to see a girl approach her. Her sharp brown eyes glared at her menacingly even though her face still wore a gentle smile. Her long brown hair was twisted and swept over her right shoulder and a small blue clip held her fringe back. She was relatively tall and positively towered over her.  
  
" I've seen her before…No way!"  
  
Misao remembered where she had seen this girl before. On the stage of an assembly…vice president of the student body council. Respectable, demure, friendly, totally unlike the person standing before her now.  
  
" I have heard a report from the class 1-B division that you have become too close to Aoshi-kun. Is that correct?"  
  
Misao struggled against the two girls holding her down. More girls quickly moved to restrain her. She could feel the spilled hot liquid seeping into the bottom of her skirt and her fingers still tingled from coming in contact with the liquid.  
  
" no! of course its not. Is this what this is all about? Shinomori?!"  
  
" You have turned down the offering of membership to the Shinomori-suki club correct?"  
  
Misao stopped struggling, choosing not to waste her energy as she stared in absolute disbelief at the calm girl in front of her.  
  
" Of course I did!! It's a stupid club to belong to. Who the hell are you? What do you want with me?"  
  
The girl took a step back as another girl kicked her in the stomach. Misao coughed violently as she winced in pain.  
  
" I suppose it was rather rude of me not to introduce myself."  
  
Misao looked up again to see the girl bow.  
  
" Seino Mari. President of the Shinomori-suki club. Yoroshiku."  
  
" Don't even bother being polite."  
  
Mari smiled, straightening and folded her arms, glaring at Misao.  
  
" You should be aware of your position Makimachi. You've attracted the wrath of my club for numerous offences."  
  
" Don't act all high and mighty."  
  
" You have come too close to our Aoshi-sama. You even go as far as to invite him to your house and make him suffer overnight in your presence. You should observe the rules Makimachi and get in line."  
  
" so would you have preferred me to let him freeze to death outside? Come on! You're being totally unreasonable. Has he seriously robbed you of all your rational thought? I don't even like him! Why are you doing this? What is the whole damned point?"  
  
Misao gasped as she felt liquid drip from her head. She could feel a steady stream of cold water being poured onto her head. When the stream stopped, she looked up and glared at Mari.   
  
Mari daintily screwed the cap back onto the bottle and handed it to a girl standing beside her.  
  
" Please calm yourself Makimachi-san."  
  
Bending down, she extended a hand to cup Misao's chin, forcing Misao's eyes to meet hers.  
  
" There is no need to shout."  
  
Misao's eyes narrowed. She spat on Mari.  
  
" All this for some stupid guy. You're all crazy."  
  
Mari straightens, pulling out a tissue from her pocket and wiped the spit off her blouse. Stuffing the tissue into Misao's mouth, she stepped back and kicked Misao on the side. As her victim whimpered in pain, Mari motioned for the rest of the girls to join in. Taking a step back, Mari marveled at her groups' vigour as they attacked Misao.   
  
After a loud thud, Mari watched with a satisfied smile as Misao slumped on the floor. One of the girls crouched to turn Misao over to see her face.  
  
" Is she dead?" one of the girls asked cautiously.  
  
The girl inspecting Misao shook her head.  
  
" Did we go too far?"  
  
" Ano…Mari-chan. Was it really ok to hit her like that?"  
  
Mari made a shooing motion with her hand and shrugged off all the questions.  
  
" You hit her body where it can be hidden by clothes. She's just unconscious anyway. I'm the vice president of the student council. Who would suspect us? It's a new girls word against us. Why would anyone want to be on her side?"  
  
" I don't know…she's kinda close to Shinomori-san…"  
  
Mari's temper flared for a split second before waving the girl away.  
  
" Aoshi-kun will believe me above this girl. I'm sure. Anyway, all of you, clean yourselves up and leave. I'll take care of all of this."  
  
The girls smiled and waved, all sidestepping to avoid Misao while straightening their uniforms and patting down their hair. Mari made sure they were gone before picking Misao's right hand. She dragged her body into the path between the gym and the garden shed. Dropping Misao on the ground again, she dusted herself off, pulling out her hair clip and running a hand through her hair. Clipping her fringe back, she pulled at her collar to straighten her shirt before heading back to the main school building.  
  
_______  
  
Aoshi looked down at the ball in his glove.   
  
" Ready!"  
  
Looking up, he could see Kenshin in his batters helmet, signaling for him to pitch. He closed his eyes, concentrating on where and how he was going to pitch this ball.  
  
" Kyah! It's Shinomori-sama!"  
  
" No way its true right?"  
  
" Right?"  
  
" Right."  
  
Annoyingly high pitched voices resonated in his ear drums as his fingers gripped the ball tightly. A large group of people crowded around the benches all talking and gossiping loudly.  
  
" Aoshi! Pitch it already!"  
  
Complying with Kenshin's request, Aoshi threw the ball at the dust in front of the benches, causing a huge cloud of dust to rise up and envelope the chattering group.  
  
" I've had it."  
  
Kenshin nodded slowly, not knowing what else to do as Aoshi stalked off the field.  
  
" Hey where's that icicle going?"  
  
Kenshin turned around sharply, catching the ball Sano had thrown to him with his bare hand.  
  
" Tough day."  
  
Sano sauntered over to Kenshin, chewing a blade of grass and wiping his hands on his white pants, covered in grass stains. He let out a low whistle as he scanned the edge of the field where it seemed half the school had gathered.  
  
" All this because of Shinomori?"  
  
" You heard about it right?"  
  
Sano sniggered, punching his right hand into his left palm.  
  
" Time to do some clean up…its not right that useless trash is cluttering up our practice area right?"  
  
Kenshin was stuck at a moral crossroad. To let Sano shut them up or let the students have their freedom?  
  
Well, he is human afterall. No one can take that constant chit chatting about the same old thing over and over right? RIGHT?  
  
Shrugging, Kenshin left Sano to do his own thing, calling the rest of the team together for some batting practice.  
  
_____  
  
Slamming his locker shut, Aoshi pulled on his collar to straighten it out before slinging his side bag over his chest. Shoving his hands in his pant pockets, he walked silently out of the male baseball team club room. His footsteps made no sound as he walked down the hallway. Looking out the window, he could see a large group of girls heading inside the building. Quickly, he ducked behind a corner, his back against the wall, holding his breath.  
  
The double doors swung open with a loud squeak, a large group of girls stampeding in, their high pitched laughter and chatter echoing through the empty halls. Aoshi tensed as the group passed by without noticing him hiding in the shadows.  
  
It was too dangerous to go out the main gates. He climbed out the window, quickly heading for the gym, hoping he could slip out the back of the school by climbing over the fence. Bending low, he ran along the buildings, making sure that no one who might be walking inside the building could see his back through the window.  
  
He straightened again, slowing his pace, when he reached the edge of the gym. He stopped suddenly as he started to pick up noises. Had they discovered him? He was not in the mood to see a mob of crazy deluded fan girls. Quickly scanning the area, he found a girl sitting with her back to the gym wall. The strange sounds had been sniffling.  
  
He approached silently. The girl sat against the gym wall, her head resting on knees with her arms wrapped around herself. Her long hair lay in disarray all around her.  
  
He only knew one with hair as long as that.  
  
" Makimachi."  
  
The girl tensed, her head slowly turning to look at him. The hair which covered her face fell to the side, revealing the tear streaked face, scratched and bruised.  
  
" What's wrong?"  
  
Misao quickly dragged the backs of her palm across her eyes to wipe away the tears. She glared at him, a look of hate and confusion.  
  
" what's wrong? Everything is wrong. All because of you!"  
  
Aoshi was taken aback as the girl scrambled to her feet and lifted a fist to punch him. He quickly stepped sideways to avoid the incoming punch but it never came. Misao doubled over and crouched on the floor, her hand clutching her side as she wheezed and breathed heavily.   
  
" why do you always have to be so violent?"  
  
Aoshi walked over to her crouched figure, towering over her.  
  
" Oh great." Misao scoffed. " He thinks I'm the one who's violent. What about your stupid followers?"  
  
" What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
" You know what I mean. Back off."  
  
Misao shakily got to her feet, slapping Aoshi's hand away.  
  
" I don't need your help."  
  
Aoshi's mouth was set in a firm line as he felt annoyance bubble up inside him.  
  
" I don't understand what your problem is."  
  
Misao snorted and turned around, slowly walking away from him, her right hand wrapped around her stomach and delicately holding her side as her left hand supported herself on the gym wall.  
  
" Why are you limping?"  
  
" If you want to know, ask your deluded fans."  
  
Aoshi's eyes narrowed as it all seemed to come together. He walked up to her, grabbing her right arm and forcefully pulling it from her side. He moved his hand to lift her shirt to see underneath but was stopped when Misao slapped him across the cheek with her hand.  
  
" What the hell do you think your doing!? Echhii"  
  
Aoshi seemed unfazed as he ignored Misao's protests. Her skin was marred by a sea of red and emerging purple. Dirt and scuff marks were caked on her skin.  
  
" They did this didn't they?"  
  
Misao clenched her teeth, turning away from Aoshi's prying eyes as she pulled her shirt down again.  
  
" Like it matters to you. Its my problem so stay out of it…-hey!"  
  
Misao yelled out in surprise as Aoshi grabbed both her arms and dragged them over his shoulder, pulling Misao onto his back piggy-back style.  
  
" What do you think your doing! That hurts you idiot!"  
  
" Be quiet."  
  
Aoshi trotted off, heading back the way he came. He ignored everyone who came across his path as he headed to the school doctor's office. He kicked open the door, quickly turning around to kick the door close on all the curious faces outside.  
  
" Hey! Put me down damnit!"  
  
Aoshi placed Misao on the nearby bed and threw a blanket on top of her, staring her down into place.  
  
" Stay there."  
  
Misao gulped, nodding slightly and sank back into the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She watched Aoshi stride out of the room and slam the door shut.   
  
What was he planning? Why would he just up and carry her to the nurse's office and just leave?  
  
Hmm. Perhaps the better question would be where was the nurse?  
  
_____  
  
Neatly folding her t-shirt and shorts, Mari placed them neatly back into her gym bag. Straightening, straightened her uniform, tugging at her collar and fastened the school bow at her neck. Reaching into her locker, she pulled out a hairbrush and began dragging it through her tangled brown hair. Oblivious to the knock on the door and her teammates around her, she began to gently apply heavy mascara to her eyelashes, admiring herself in her compact mirror.  
  
Her lips set into a line when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, interrupting her in the middle of her beauty routine. She scowled turning on the person who interrupted her. She quickly made herself smile, wanting to keep her nice persona.  
  
To her surprise, a first year girl in her club looked up at her with wide eyes, her face flushed with excitement.  
  
" Seino-sempai! Shinomori-sama is waiting for you outside the club room!"  
  
Mari's face reddened as she dropped her compact in surprise, bringing her hands up towards her mouth. She quickly caught herself, regaining her cool composure, willing the blush to fade away from her reddened cheeks. Stooping to pick the compact back up, she eyed herself in the mirror, pursing her lips and preening for the reflection. When satisfied, she straightened, placing the compact back into the locker before shutting it with a soft click.  
  
" Thank you."  
  
The starry eyed first year hurriedly got out of Mari's path as she headed for the exit. Running a hand through her free flowing hair, she smiled brightly, pushing open the door and walking outside, calling out for Aoshi in a chirpy voice.  
  
" Sorry to keep you waiting Aoshi-sa-"  
  
She stopped midsentence, surprised as a large powerful hand took hold of her wrist and flung her against the wall. Wincing at the pain from the impact of her back hitting the wall, she looked up at her attacker. Her left hand was pinned above her head as her right hung loosely at her side. She was surprised to see Aoshi glaring intently at her, his cold blue eyes staring into hers as his breath tickled her nose.  
  
" …what is this for Aoshi-sa-"  
  
He put a finger to her lips to silence her as he leaned in to whisper into her ear. She was vaguely aware of the whispers of the people standing in the hallway as she was place in a rather compromising position. She blushed and smiled slyly as Aoshi's finger fell from her lips, gently tracing her jawline before skipping across her shoulders. She shivered at the touch as she felt Aoshi's hot breath tickling her ears.  
  
But what he said next was not what she wanted.  
  
He backed away, letting go of her hand and shoving his hands back in his pockets as he strode away. Mari's mouth hung open as her left hand dropped back down lifeless at her side. She slowly slid to the floor with her back still against the wall.  
  
Shock….  
  
Frustration.  
  
She bit her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut, as if in pain.  
  
Anger.  
  
The words he whispered to her kept going round and round in her head. It wouldn't stop. She knew one way to stop the voices…  
  
" Mari-chan? Are you ok? Mari?"  
  
The voices disappeared. Calm restored itself as her eyes focused on her teammate extending a hand to her. Slightly surprised to find herself on the floor she accepted her teammates offer of help and got to her feet. While the initial surprise had gone, the steady drone of the voices chanting in her head had not disappeared.   
  
" Yes I'm fine….just fine."   
  
_______________________  
  
Misao plunged her cupped hands under the tap and flicked water onto her face. The warm water felt like bliss at her fingertips as the water began to drip onto her shirt. Ignoring the pain of the many bruises that littered her upper body and upper legs, she shrugged her blazer back on and struggled towards the door to exit the nurses office. She needed to get out of there before the nurse got back…before…*he* came back.  
  
Hurrying towards the stairs that led to her classroom, she kept her eyes to the floor, thanking whoever was up there that it was still the extracurricular activities period and not that many people were roaming around the halls. Ignoring the funny looks she was getting, she walked quickly into her classroom, sliding the door shut behind her. Lucky for her, no one was there.   
  
She walked quickly to her desk, grabbing her bag and hastily shoved her belongings in. Letting out a whimper of pain as she bent over to pick up her diary, she could feel the skin on her back split apart. Reaching behind her, she lifted her the back of her shirt with one hand and slid her other hand under. She could feel moisture.  
  
She looked at her hand. Blood.   
  
She swore under her breath, pulling her white shirt tight at the front and tying a knot, hoping that it would be tight enough to stop the bleeding. She buttoned her blazer and grabbed her coat which was hanging at the back of the classroom. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she hurried out of the classroom again, her eyes darting around anxiously for a glimpse of any students. Her chest heaved and she panted loudly by the time she reached the shoe closets at the front entrance.  
  
Dropping her shoes onto the floor she took off her cloth ones with her feet, not wanting to bend. Shoving her feet into her cold leather shoes, she left her indoor shoes on the floor, not caring if she was leaving a mess. A mess is better than the pain she would receive if she tried to pick her shoes up.   
  
Ugh. She hated herself for what had happened to her. Beaten up, can barely stand let alone walk. She started to resent herself for moving here. She couldn't call her brother for help. She had no one here to comfort her. Her only close friend was Atsuko…and Misao couldn't talk to her about it because if involved her beloved brother.   
  
Her brother Aoshi. At the thought of his name, Misao doubled her slow pace, walking past the school gates and heading towards the station. There were so many other students walking towards the station but none of them noticed a small girl limp along the sidewalk. None of them noticed when she was pulled into an alley way and pushed into a little alcove.  
  
Misao gasped in surprise and pain as her back slammed against the concrete wall. A large bin and plumbing unit blocked her view of the main street.   
  
" I warned you not to cross me Makimachi!"  
  
Brown eyes stared daggers at her. The blue clip that had held back her normally neat hair was gone, leaving it in disarray.   
  
Misao's brow furrowed, her patience letting go as the pain left her body and red hot anger took over.  
  
" Just what the hell is your problem Seino!? You've already beat on me enough today haven't you!? Get OVER IT"  
  
She pushed the girl backward, the bruises on her arms causing no pain as she kicked the legs of the girl who had lost her balance and was sprawled on the floor. Her eyes darted around wildly looking for her bag. Stepping over Mari, she reached for her bag. Cold hands grabbed her ankle and tugged viciously, making her lose her balance and falling face first onto the floor. Misao propped herself up on her elbows, looking over her shoulder at Mari who was still holding onto her leg, fumbling around her bag with her other hand. A lump rose in Misao's throat as a silver gleam caught her eye.  
  
Mari tossed her bag aside. In her hands was a large art knife. Mari let go of Misao's leg, struggling to push the blade up and tighten the knob that held it in place. Given the chance, Misao quickly darted forward, grabbing her bag and hugging it to her chest while struggling to her feet. Her initial anger had left her and the pain was coming back.  
  
" You can't be serious Seino…over a guy…you can go to jail for this!"  
  
Mari caught hold of Misao's bag's strap and pulled her back before she could flee. Misao, reacting quickly, loosened her grip on her bag and pulled on the other strap, getting some distance between her and the psychotic girl. Giving her bag a strong tug, Mari let go. Taking this change Misao turned and fled, willing her legs to run faster. The main street seemed to be so close now.  
  
Suddenly her head snapped back. Misao winced in pain as Mari caught hold of her long braid and lifted her arm to bring down the blade.  
  
This. Is. SO NOT HAPPENING.  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking to herself that she never should have moved away from her family, moved to a place filled with perverts and psycho fan girls. She tried to run, even though she could still feel Mari holding on to her by her hair.  
  
Suddenly she could feel the tight grip Mari had on her slackened. Keeping her eyes closed and with a hand gripping her bag tightly, she ignored all the pain and ran out of there.   
  
____________  
  
Aoshi frowned in frustration as he shoved his shoes on, slinging his bag over his shoulders. He tossed the white cloth shoe, clearly labeled with "Makimachi" aside as he ran out the doors of the school building and headed for the station.  
  
It didn't take much intelligence to figure out that the girl had run away, the empty shoe cubby hole, the discarded white cloth shoes, despite his insistence for her to stay put in the nurses office. He took off at a fast speed, dodging other students walking on the path. He glanced around anxiously for a glimpse of her. There was no way she could have gotten far.  
  
He ran flat out towards the station, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Squinting in the late afternoon sun, he spotted a petite figure hiking the stairs up to the train station. Hoping that it was Misao, he raced towards the steps, knowing that he had to hurry or he'd miss her entirely. He could hear a train pulling into the station.   
  
" sumimasen." Aoshi muttered as he almost knocked a girl over in his haste to make it up the stairs.  
  
He breathed hard as he finally reached the top of the stairs, bending over slightly with his hand on his knees. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of the shadow that had resembled Misao. Fumbling in his pocket for his train pass, he raced towards the gates. He could see already that the train that had pulled up was beginning to close its doors.   
  
Why did he have to go through so much trouble for this girl again?   
  
He raced to the door, catching the side while they prepared to close and jumped into the crowded train. Breathing hard now, having run around the whole school and all the way to the station, he searched for Misao, hoping that he hadn't seen the wrong person. His eyes rested on the figure which slumped against the opposite train door against the glass. The girlish figure seemed to be holding herself up delicately, as if the contact against the glass hurt but had no choice but to lean against it because she couldn't stand straight herself. There were no free seats.  
  
Aoshi's eyes looked her up and down. This couldn't be her. This girl did not have Misao's trademark long braid. But then his eyes narrowed on the short haircut of the girl, how the cut was uneven and shaggy. Deciding to take a chance, he glared at the other passengers, who in their shock and fear parted to make way for him.  
  
" Makimachi."  
  
The girl stiffened, her head turning slowly to look at him. Her blue eyes widened with shock.  
  
" you…"  
  
" what happened to your hair?"  
  
________  
  
End Chapter 3. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
The fresh smell of grass in her fingers, the cold earth against her back. The warm sun peeking through the leaves on the tree branch as a woman called her name.   
  
Sitting on something soft and warm, fingers that brushed across her cheeks and pushed her messy hair out of her eyes and held her up firmly, safely.  
  
The pain of the hairbrush raking through her hair, tangled during her adventure. The tugging as the brush dug into her scalp and all the way down her long, shiny, silky…  
  
"what about my hair?"  
  
Misao eyed the male before her suspiciously. Her hair was the pride of her life. How dare he ask something like that in such an insulting, insolent manner. She reached up instinctively to bring her long braid forward, to inspect it and twirl it around her fingers. The old familiarity of the gesture would surely calm her down after the episode she'd just been through.  
  
"Man why does this have to happen to me. Harassed by some guy, then almost getting killed by his jealous girlfriend or whatever. What is with the people in this town? Is it the water!?"  
  
Her heart stopped. Her thin fingers desperately reaching out for her reassurance. She could feel her fingers on her back, grasping desperately for something that wasn't there.  
  
" Next stop…Nakanoshima…please prepare to alight from this train. Next stop Nakanoshima…"  
  
The train doors behind her slid open with a whoosh, a gust of cold hair blowing in, tickling the back of her neck. Misao closed her eyes tightly as she reached up to touch the back of her neck. She could feel the ends of her hair there, something she had not felt since she was a young child.  
  
" Ano…Makimachi…you okay there?"  
  
His words didn't reach her. She dropped her school bag to free both hands as she touched her head, feeling the loss of the once long even tresses now replaced by jagged, strands of hair, at uneven lengths tickling her neck and trailing down her back.  
  
No way.   
  
She sunk to the floor, not hearing the rude remarks made by the passengers getting on and off the train.   
  
How could this have happened?   
  
The knife. Mari…Shinomori.  
  
Misao looked up to see Shinomori crouched down next to her, surprisingly wearing a slightly concerned look on his face. He seemed to be afraid to touch her.   
  
Her blood ran cold, her mind seemingly forgetting the pain as she lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him onto the ground. She straddled him as she lifted his head up and down, watching with glee as his head knocked back against the train door.  
  
" Its all your fault! You and your stupid girls. You knew this would happen! How could you let this happen to me! Do you care at all?"  
  
The commuters on the train stopped and turned to look at the pair lying on the floor. People on the train platform peered in to see what all the commotion was about.  
  
" Makimachi you're causing a scene."  
  
" Shut up! Don't change the subject! Stop looking at me like that and take some responsibility for your actions!"  
  
Dropping his head down one final time, she heaved a deep breath as the pain caught up with her. She fell off him onto the side, clutching her stomach as she felt the pain from the gash on her side.  
  
Aoshi sat up, tensing up as he became aware of all people they had caught the undivided attention of. Old ladies whispering to each other, giving him dirty looks, the highschool girls from his school hurridly gossiping and blowing things out of proportion. The business men giving Misao the once over before giving him appreciative looks.  
  
" Kids these days…"  
  
" They're getting younger and younger."  
  
" Oh my god! Isn't that Shinomori-kun?"  
  
" Woah he must have knocked her up or something"  
  
WHAT. Aoshi hurriedly got up onto his feet, cursing his good hearing and looked down at Misao, her arms wrapped tightly around her mid section.  
  
Oh dear god. What a misunderstanding.  
  
He grabbed Misao's bag and slung it over with his own and knelt down in front of her again.  
  
"Makimachi" he whispered.  
  
" What the hell do you want. Can't you see I'm busy?"  
  
Aoshi gulped as the train carriage hummed with a flurry of whispering.  
  
" We're creating a scene. You have to calm down…"  
  
Misao snorted with indignation and put her hand out to shove him away.  
  
"Calm down!? How can you tell me to clam down! After what your stupid followers did to--"  
  
Misao stopped yelling, her eye scrunched up in pain. She let out a little cry before slumping over Aoshi's knee unconscious.  
  
Aoshi now assessed the situation. He's now kneeling in a train, headed in the opposite direction to his own home with an unconscious girl in his arms. The very same girl who had been screaming at the top of her lungs at him with phrases such as " what you've done" and "taking responsibility". Surrounded by bored and gossipy old ladies and students from his school and schools from the surrounding area and perverted businessmen who had undoubtedly already made assumptions about what had happened.  
  
" Hey, Makimachi…get a hold of yourself. Wake up. Now isn't the time to sleep."  
  
Her answer was to slip down off his knee falling to the floor. Grumbling, he gathered her up in his arms, slinging her gently onto his back to carry her piggy back style. Slinging both bags around his neck so he had his hands free to keep Misao on his back, he stood up, trying to ignore the gaze of everyone on the carriage. The doors closed behind him and the train began to move as he casually sauntered over to the nearest hand rung (?) and lifted a hand from Misao to hold onto it to steady himself against the trains movement.  
  
He willed the train to go faster. The passengers in line of sight remained silent, staring eagerly at him to see what would happen next. As a baseball player, he wasn't unused to the attention of groups of people, it had never really bothered him. This however…  
  
The carriage remained in a dead silence until they reached the next stop, which, fortunately for Aoshi, was Misao's stop. The doors could not slide open fast enough as he swore under his breath with impatience. Opening with a pressurized hiss, Aoshi hurriedly walked off the train, pushing Misao higher on his back.  
  
" Hey boy, you take care of her you hear? Take responsibility for your actions and don't desert your child!"  
  
Aoshi froze and grumbled as the old lady on the train leapt onto the platform and called after him. Bewildered people on the train platform gave him dirty looks as he hiked up the stairs with an unconscious girl on his back. Everyone around him began to fiddle around with their bags, or digging their hands in their pockets. Why?  
  
Ducking behind a crowd of students, he followed them towards the gates. Staring at the ticket inspector out of the corner of his eye, he jumped the gate and broke out in a run as the inspector turned his back to him. He apologized softly as he ran fast, bumping her on his back. He cursed the thick blanket of snow on the ground as it impeded his progress towards the girl's apartment.   
  
Breathing heavily, he trudged up the stairs, careful to keep his balance and keep the girl on his back. All his years of baseball training seemed to do nothing for his stamina while he had waded his way through the thick snow carrying Misao on his back. She may look small but hell, she's heavy after awhile. Stopping in front of her door, he dropped the bags onto the floor and knelt down, fiddling around Misao's bag for the keys. He breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers grasped the cool metal. Preparing the stand up, he felt Misao slip off his back. Swearing under his back, he let her slide off and set her down carefully on the floor before he stood up to open the door. Pushing the door open, he pulled at the back of his blazer, which had been sticking to his back the whole time. Ignoring it, he kicked a stool to keep the door open before ducking back outside to pick up the unconscious girl to place her gently on the couch. Kicking the chair back out of the way, he slammed the door closed. He headed to her room, grabbing towels from a closet with stunning familiarity. Slinging one over his head and rubbing vigorously, he slung the other over his neck and headed back to the living room where Misao lay.  
  
He stopped in front of the mirror with surprise, catching his reflection out of the corner of his eye on his way out. The back of his blazer had a dark patch. If he'd had Misao on her back the whole time…his back shouldn't be wet.  
  
He quickly stripped off the blazer, tossing it on the floor in his hurry and glanced at his white shirt in the mirror. A pink patch was on his lower right side. He swore loudly, pulling his shirt off as he ran back to the living room. Pulling up her top, his eyes widened at the sight, a bloody shirt tied around her waist. He removed it gently his brow crinkling as he watched the girl tense underneath his touch. Panoply of bruises and scratches littered her stomach and sides. On her left side, he could see where the bleeding had come from, a large gash where the skin had split apart. He wondered where the first aid kit was while he grabbed a towel and pressed it against her side, trying to stop the bleeding. When he was satisfied, he brushed the hair from Misao's face, murmuring under his breath before searching the apartment for a first aid kit. Letting out a sigh of relief when he managed to lay his hands on the metal box, he sat next to Misao again with a bowl of water, washing her wounds clean of blood before applying ointment and bandaging her side up. Reaching over for his bag, he pulled out a jar of cream. Twisting open the lid, he dipped his fingers in, bringing up a generous amount and starting rubbing hard on the bruises on her stomach.  
  
" AARRGGGH"  
  
Misao's eyes flew open, her hands moving to stop the pain coming from her stomach. She quickly glanced down at the culprit…a hand…an arm…a shoulder…a head…  
  
" Oh my god…what are you doing?"  
  
Misao did a double take, frowning as she lifted her head slightly to see better. She screamed, pushing Aoshi away from her this time and scampering backwards, her arms wrapping around her stomach in an attempt to ease the pain.  
  
" what the hell do you think you're doing Shinomori!? With your hand up my shirt no less?!"  
  
Misao snorted indignantly, impatient for Aoshi's excuse. He simply pointed at her sides. When she looked down, she saw clean white bandages, neatly pinned into place.   
  
" Oh…" she blushed. " …that…that doesn't explain why you're in my apartment pervert!"  
  
" You fainted on the train. I carried you back here. Now lie down." He ordered, reaching for her again.  
  
Shocked, she obeyed, lying down on the couch and allowed Aoshi to rub her bruises again. She winced at the steady rubbing motion at first but it became soothing after awhile. Beginning to lose herself in the sensation, she closed her eyes, trying to remember the events that led her to faint and get carried back to her own apartment unconscious.   
  
Her wounds. Stupid fan club. Mari. Knife. Her….hair.  
  
Number one culprit for the whole affair?  
  
Aoshi Shinomori.  
  
Her eyes fly open again, pushing Aoshi over and getting up off the couch. She grabbed his bag and strode to the door, tossing it out of the door and over the balcony. It landed soundlessly onto the piling snow outside.  
  
" Get out."  
  
Aoshi got to his feet and walked to the door, peering over her shoulder to see where his bag had landed.  
  
" I'm only trying to help."  
  
" Help? I think you've helped enough. The last time you 'tried' to help," she screamed grabbing a fistful of her shredded hair, "This happened! So forget it. I don't need your so called 'help'. Just leave me alone…pretend you never met me and this never happened. I want you out!"  
  
Aoshi scowled, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her.  
  
" You're so impossible to please."  
  
He grabbed his shoes, shoving them on his feet hurriedly before walking past her and stomped down the stairs.   
  
" What do you care?!" she screamed after him before slamming the door.  
  
With her back against the door, she burst into tears, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor. Her shoulders wracked with sobs as she wondered why this would happen to her. What had she done to deserve this?  
  
Aoshi took a deep breath of morning air as he stared at the sky. It was clear blue, unlike yesterday's stormy conditions after he'd left Misao's. He stared at the apartment block, glaring at the familiar door which seemed to have always been slammed in his face. He fingered the keys in his pants pocket, making a jangling sound which seemed to echo around the silent neighbourhood.  
  
Had he woken up anyone? God knew it was early. Maybe he was just being paranoid. It just a set of keys.  
  
Aoshi let out a sigh of relief has nothing stirred around him. All this paranoia early in the morning…that girl definitely had an ill affect on him.  
  
Still, he wondered how she was doing. Having lived with girls most of his life, he knew that yesterday's events would have shaken the girl to her very core. Having her hair cut off would have been devastating. Even guys were like that…a couple of times when Sano had gone ballistic when a couple of freshman on the team had switched his hairgel with super glue. He pulled a business card from his pocket. He'd taken it out of Omasu's business card reel, knowing that by the wrinkled corners of the card that it had been many times. It had to be good.  
  
Squaring his shoulders, he 'marched into battle', climbing up the familiar metal staircase and found himself in front of the wooden door. Taking the keys from his pocket, he quietly inserted it in the hole, turning it and smirking with satisfaction when the door slowly swung open. He crept stealthily inside, his eyes drinking in the state of the apartment. Bandages, dirty towels, balled up bloody clothing was strewn all over the place. A couple of broken cups and plates, pushed over chairs and various books and pages littered the floor.  
  
Someone had gone on a rampage.  
  
Aoshi silently started picking up the pages, collecting them in a neat stack and placed them on the table where he spied a familiar jar. Twisting it open, the familiar scent tickled his nose. He noted that the jar had been used a fair bit as the level had gone down.  
  
At least she was taking care of herself.  
  
Slowly, he'd managed to clean up most of the apartment, save the bedroom which he suspected she was probably still sleeping in. He had just slotted the last book into place when the bedroom door opened, a sleepy Misao stumbling out. It was still quite early in the morning, the sun was only a few hours old. He stood stiffly as she eyed him. She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before he managed to find some words to say.  
  
" Ohayo."  
  
To his surprise, Misao beamed at him, smiling before replying.  
  
" Ohayo Shinomori."  
  
Then she turned towards the bathroom door, shuffling towards it before disappearing behind the closing door. He could hear the water turn on and off, the sounds of someone brushing their teeth and then…  
  
He braced himself.  
  
The bathroom door flew open, Misao storming out, eyes blazing with toothbrush still in her mouth.  
  
" What the hell are you doing in my apartment?!"  
  
Aoshi glared right back, pointing to the keys on the table.  
  
" You kicked me out when I had your keys."  
  
" You could have returned them at school or something! What gives you the right to come back up here after what you've done to me?"  
  
Aoshi looked at her calmly.  
  
" It is currently 8am. You're currently running almost an hour later for school. By the looks of things you were not planning to go anyway. Also you would not have left your own house without your keys."  
  
Misao froze, knowing that he'd said the truth. She gritted her teeth and tried to stop herself from blushing.  
  
" …yeh…well you've delivered the keys and since I'm not going to school today doesn't mean you aren't. What do you think you're doing?"  
  
" I'm not going."  
  
Misao gave Aoshi an up-and-down. He was wearing grey cargo pants, hooded white sweatshirt and a thick blue scarf…the same one Atsuko had lent her all those days ago. He didn't look too bad…in casual wear.  
  
Oh my god. Misao, now is not the time.  
  
" Get dressed."  
  
Misao raised an eyebrow at his curt order.  
  
" Why should I?"  
  
Aoshi grabbed the keys off the table and shoved it in his back pocket. Then he took a seat on the couch, putting his elbows on his knees and learning forward in a thoughtful, impatient pose.  
  
" Shinomori, give me back my keys and get the hell out of my apartment!"  
  
Silence.  
  
Oh my. The only way to get back those keys was to wrestle Aoshi for them…and put her hands on his ass…  
  
Well, that's not such a bad thing I guess…argh what am I thinking. There's no way I'm even touching him!  
  
" Are you crazy? If I'M missing from school and you're missing from school I'd hate to think what the whole school would think."  
  
" What does it matter?"  
  
" Of course it matters. This is what got me into the whole mess in the first place."  
  
" My sister won't gossip this time."  
  
Aoshi's face darkened at the thought of her sister. Oh there was hell to pay.  
  
Misao stared at him. More like glared holes into his head. The intensity of her stare was making him slightly uncomfortable but he shrugged it off. He was used to being glared at. He was a baseball player afterall. After 10 minutes of glaring Misao let out a weary sigh.  
  
" Where do you want to go? Look at me. I hurt all over the place and my hair seems to have been hacked to bits…not that that's far from the truth."  
  
Aoshi rose from the couch, digging his hands into the pocket situated near his knee on his cargo pants and pulled out a beanie. He walked over to Misao and pulled it over her head.  
  
" Let's go."  
  
Misao pulled the beanie down further over her head, slowly sliding further down the train seat and hid behind Aoshi's shoulder, trying to keep herself from view.  
  
" What are you doing?"  
  
" What's it look like baka! I'm trying to hide." Misao said through clenched teeth, feeling more self conscious by the minute.   
  
" Who are you hiding from?"  
  
Aoshi crossed his arms and stared steadily ahead of him. A blush tinged Misao's cheeks as she observed the situation in the train carriage. There were a few old ladies, business men and young mothers with their children.  
  
"…So where are we going?"  
  
The train began to slow down, an announcement of the upcoming station coming on through the overhead speakers.  
  
" We're getting off."  
  
Aoshi stood abruptly, surprising Misao and causing her to fall over as her support stood up. Misao swore under her breath and quickly hurried off the train, digging her hands in the pocket of her jacket to avoid the cold. She ran to keep up with Aoshi. When she'd caught up, they had already reached the turn slides to exit the station. He handed her her train ticket and went through the gates, walking briskly off towards a flight of stairs. Misao hurried after him, sliding her ticket in and running towards the stairs. Her sides had begun to hurt by the time she climbed to the top.   
  
" Hey wait! Shinomori! Wait!"  
  
Not only did he not stop, he sped up and didn't acknowledge his name being called out.  
  
" OI! Kora! I said wait! Jeez for someone who calls me out-"  
  
Misao stopped mid sentence as she smashed right into him.  
  
" Ow." She complained as she rubbed her nose. " Who stops in a street so suddenly? Honestly."  
  
" we're here."  
  
" where's here?"  
  
Aoshi looked sideways and she followed his gaze. They had stopped in front of a glass store window. Through it she could see rows of mirrors and comfortable seats, basins and people wielding brushes and scissors.   
  
" …you took me to a hairdresser?!"  
  
Aoshi ignored her, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. The staff cheerily greeted the pair as they walked up to the counter. Misao soaked up the ambience of the place as Aoshi conferred with the guy at the counter. Her converse shoes made squeaking noises on the wooden floor, her baggy jeans, sweatshirt and sports jacket seemed out of place in the store with such rich clientele. There was a middle aged woman wearing a cream coloured business suit, a string of pearls adorning her neck with a LV bag by her side. Suddenly she felt severely under dressed and sub consciously moved to hide behind Aoshi.  
  
" um…"  
  
The guy behind the counter beamed at her, gesturing with his hands.  
  
" This way mam."  
  
An assistant took her jacket as he led her over to a padded black leather chair attached to a sink at the back of the room. She grimaced as she looked at the chair and swore under her breath as she caught a glimpse of Aoshi disappearing to the front of the store, sitting on the chic black leather couch and reading a magazine intently.   
  
" May I have your hat madam?"  
  
Misao reluctantly pulled the hat off her head and reclined in the chair, her head resting on a plastic frame. The guy took the hat and placed it on a nearby tray and turned on the water to begin washing her hair. He rubbed gently at first before applying shampoo and began to rub vigorously.  
  
" Haircut didn't turn out huh?"  
  
" Huh?"  
  
" You're boyfriend over there explained it all to me."  
  
Misao almost leapt off the seat but the guy kept her head down.  
  
" He's not my boyfriend."  
  
" Oh? That's a shame. He's not a bad looker."  
  
He wrapped her head in a towel and gestured for her to get up. She slid off the chair, wincing slightly as she twisted her body around. She sat down in the chair in front of the mirror hesitantly, slowly easing herself down as to not hurt herself again.  
  
" Oh don't worry, we'll take great care of you. You're bound to love it."  
  
The hairdresser smiled at her reassuringly removing the towel from her head and began brushing out the uneven strands. As the hairdresser brushed, he raised his eyebrow, looking at how the hair fell against Misao's back. Two uneven layers, looking like it had been sheared off. In the middle, it was still very long but to each side, the strands had been hacked off unevenly, down to her ear and on the other side, down to her shoulder.   
  
The hairdresser gulped as he ran the comb through her hair one last time. Misao seemed to sense his shock.  
  
" err…"  
  
" …Don't worry. So how would you like me to cut it?"  
  
"…Where's it the shortest?"  
  
The hairdresser held up a strand for her to see and placed it on her shoulder. Misao shut her eyes tightly and gulped.  
  
" …Cut it short."  
  
The hairdresser nodded, grabbing a nearby trolley where his tools were set out. Grabbing the long hair, he lifted his scissors, the blades poised to snip it away.  
  
Her hair…been with her all those years.  
  
Snip.  
  
" …Do whatever you want."  
  
The hairdresser smiled reassuringly.  
  
" I know just what to do little lady. Just sit back and relax."  
  
Now normally, when she went to a hairdressers it was a rather short trip. She sat in the chair, flipped through a magazine and voila, haircut done. Not that it was much of a haircut…more like a trim. But the hairdresser seemed like he was taking an eternity. He'd snip a bit here and there, moving around the layers and clipping it with a gigantic peg at the top of her head.   
  
She felt physically sick. She should not have trusted this guy with a single hair on her head. Why had he smiled so reassuringly!? Its his fault! But wait…no. It was Shinomori's fault. He had brought her here to a 'hair salon' for the higher ups of society and made her sit in a chair while some guy she didn't even know chopped all her hair off.  
  
Misao grimaced as she struggled to stay in her seat.  
  
" Hmm I think that should do it".  
  
The hairdresser smiled, removing the numerous clips that held her hair on top of her head and began to brush it out smoothly. Reaching for a hairdryer he began to ruffle Misao's hair and trained the hairdryer to blow gently on the shiny strands.  
  
Misao squirmed, squeezing her eyes shut as a warm wind blew against her face.  
  
" OK done! Open your eyes and see how great you look"  
  
Misao did so obediently, hoping to find a bathroom as soon as possible. She was caught by surprise at the reflection that greeted her in the mirror. Her dark hair was relatively shorter, gently framing her face just past her ears. From the side to the back, the hair was longer, cut unevenly to give it a chic, modern look. It fell just so the ends of her hair tickled the bottom of her neck.   
  
" There. Wasn't so bad was it?"  
  
Misao couldn't answer the young hairdresser. She sat completely shell-shocked, wrapped up in her reflection in the mirror. She nodded numbly as the hairdresser took off the plastic sheet that protected her clothing and gently helped her off the chair.  
  
" You look great. Hope you come again…Here's my card".  
  
Misao stared blankly at him.  
  
"err…miss?"  
  
At this moment, Aoshi, with his jacket already on and Misao's hanging over his arm, chose to intervene. Thanking the nice hairdresser and softly and politely commending him for a job well done, he took the business card and bowed slightly. Putting her jacket over her shoulders, Aoshi steered her out the door, the sound of the ringing of the cash register behind him as the store door closed.  
  
Now out on the street, Aoshi could see that Misao still seemed to be in some sort of trance. Making her slip on her jacket and grabbing her hand, her eyes seemed to be glued to any reflective surface as he pulled her along the street. He stopped in front of a store and seemed to be looking through the store window, quietly appraising its wares.  
  
Misao stood next to him. Blink. Blink.  
  
All the shiny objects glared back at her with her own image. Blink blink.  
  
Wow what short hair I have.  
  
Short hair.  
  
Where'd all my hair go to?  
  
Why am I standing here obsessing over it?  
  
Blink.  
  
Misao's eyes widened as she found herself staring at her reflection in a shiny metal pot lid. Wasn't she supposed to be at a hairdresser? With Shinomori?  
  
She frantically looked around for him. He was standing near one of the display bins in the front of the store, a bright red plastic basket in hand, peering over plates stacked inside the bin. She marched inside, ignoring the shouts of welcome by the store staff and grabbed his arm harshly, pulling him down to her level and then yelling in his ear.  
  
" Why in the world am I here?!"  
  
Aoshi shook her off, very aware of the shop's patrons staring at them and took a few of the plates and put them in his basket.  
  
" What does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
Misao fumed as he moved to the next display bin that hosted a large selection of tall class cups.  
  
" I'm asking why I'm here with YOU while you do…you…act so homely."  
  
Aoshi glanced up from the cups, the sides of his lips twitching while he looked at her. Looking back down at the cups, he picked up 4, which had been packed in a box.  
  
" Why these are for you."  
  
" I have perfectly good glassware at home thank you very…"  
  
Misao trailed off, remembering the angry rampage she'd gone on at home, the shattered glass covering the floor, the cushions thrown at various ends of the room. Actually come to think of it when she'd woken up that morning her apartment had been clean.  
  
"…hey Shinomori?"  
  
He stopped at the beginning of the aisle.  
  
" Did you um…clean my apartment this morning?"  
  
Misao suddenly felt strangely hot and bothered, pretending to be very interested in the display of bowls on the shelf as she waited for a response.  
  
A grunt before he walked off again.  
  
Misao tried to keep her annoyance in check. Afterall, considering Shinomori's ability for conversation, that grunt was pretty good. She hurried after him, pulling on his sleeve signaling him to stop. He turned around this time, looking down at her as she fumbled around with her clothing, pulling up her sleeves and gesturing for him to bend down so she could whisper something in his ears. Obliging her request, he leaned down. She leaned in, letting her warm breath tickle his ears whispering a thanks before quickly pecking him on the cheek. Grabbing the bowl she'd eyed before, she dumped it inside the basket he carried before and skipped merrily down the aisle.  
  
" Come on Shinomori…we don't have all day. Since we're here I'm going to pick up a few things Move your cute ass!" Misao chided as she turned the corner to the next aisle.  
  
Aoshi's lips twitched slightly in amusement as heat rose up to his face.  
  
Cute ass?  
  
An hour later, with him heavily weighed down by numerous shopping bags, they found their way back towards the station by walking through the shopping district. She claimed that she couldn't hold heavy loads due to her injuries.  
  
Ok so that was probably true. But she still shouldn't be humming to herself and skipping happily in front of him like a 4 year old.  
  
They came up to a pedestrian bridge, both sides had lines of stalls running all the way to the end. Hawkers of all kinds, concert tickets, 'genuine' branded goods, watches, jewelry, small electronic goods…you name it, it was there. Misao had meanwhile run off, standing in front of one stall. The table was covered in a black tablecloth with various beaded, metal trinkets decorating the table.  
  
He hurried over with her bags, catching the end of the conversation between Misao and the shop keeper.  
  
"…all hand made"  
  
" Wow…these are really good! This is so pretty"  
  
Misao picked up a pair of dangly earrings, holding it in front of her face and twirled it around, letting its silver surface catch the sunlight.   
  
The pretty shop assistant eyed Aoshi, who was now standing behind Misao, with appreciative eyes.  
  
" How about it boyfriend. Its dirt cheap at 1000 yen. You should buy it for her."  
  
Misao quickly dropped it back on the table and shook her head vigorously.  
  
" No no. He's not…we're not. At any rate I don't have any more money on me…c'mon lets leave Shinomori".  
  
Misao quickly strode off, hurrying down towards the other end of the bridge. The shop assistant's eyes remained on him.  
  
Should he buy it? He had plenty of money. Maybe as sort of an apology present. Omasu had once told him to buy one for Atsuko when she became mad at him and it had worked then. He leaned forward, picking up the earrings with his long fingers and admired them.  
  
Maybe he would.  
  
The next morning Misao opened the door, toast hanging from her mouth, one hand struggling to slide into her coat sleeve.  
  
Normally it would be quite strange to have a visitor so early in the morning. BE she had a fair idea of who would be behind the door this morning.  
  
"mmrmph mrphgm mrpmmph" she mumbled, greeting her visitor.  
  
Aoshi looked down at the girl kicking the door open and shrugging her coat on, dropping crumbs all over the floor.  
  
" Good morning to you too."  
  
Misao grunted as she shoved the toast in her mouth in her hurry.  
  
" Don't choke."  
  
Misao swallowed and turned around, grinning at her guest.  
  
" so what brings you here so early in the morning?"  
  
Aoshi stayed silent, hovering near the doorway as the cold winds outside tousled his hair.  
  
" Hurry up."  
  
" What a gentleman you are good sir."  
  
Misao grabbed her bag and walked to the door, closing and locking it before skipping down her apartment's stairs to where Aoshi stood waiting. Side by side, they headed towards the station. The sun rose steadily in the sky, a clear blue sky overhead. The thin sheet of ice over the sidewalk crunched under their shoes as they walked along the footpath.  
  
" So how was baseball practice yesterday? Were you late?"  
  
Aoshi, after dropping Misao and her packages off at her apartment had returned to school for baseball practice. The competition would start again soon, he had been anxious to keep up with his practice.  
  
" Just in time."  
  
Misao snickered, punching him playfully on the shoulder.  
  
" Bet ya you had a hard time explaining where you went."  
  
" mm." Aoshi mumbled in a positive tone.  
  
" Did Sagara-san give you a hard time?"  
  
" mm."  
  
These responses would, under normal circumstances, anger Misao. Who answers by grunting? But coming from Aoshi, Misao supposed that this was pretty good…and was probably all she'd get.  
  
" Were the hordes of fan girls there?"  
  
" Of course."  
  
Wow, words this time. What a skillful conversationalist he's turning into.  
  
" was…was she there?"  
  
She. Meaning that little minx who'd lopped off her hair. Miss President of the Aoshi-pukey-pukey-Shinomori club.  
  
Aoshi remained tight lipped on that particular topic as they went through the turnslides at the station and sat down on bench on the train platform.  
  
" Did she mention anything about it?"  
  
No reply.  
  
" Did she say anything at all?"  
  
No reply.  
  
" Did…you do say anything to her? Because you know…the last time that happened…"  
  
" I'm here aren't I?"  
  
" I guess."  
  
" They won't hurt you."  
  
" I don't want empty promises Shinomori. I don't need any favours."  
  
" mm." He grunted in a negative tone.  
  
They fell into silence again, boarding the train. They packed inside, with a steady stream of business men pushing them towards the middle of the train carriage. Aoshi grabbed the run overhead casually while Misao's eyes darted around anxiously. She was definitely not tall enough to reach the overhead strap.  
  
The train gave a lurch as it began to pick up speed. She felt herself reeling backwards before Aoshi reached out and grabbed her with his other hand before she fell into the seedy old business man behind her. Grabbing Aoshi's blazer, she straightened herself and regained her balance.  
  
" Thanks."  
  
Not relinquishing her grip on his blazer, Misao's eyes glazed over and she began to daydream. Daydreaming was something she did a lot of while she was on trains. Her eyes darted around the carriage, the crowd of suits and ties, the odd schoolgirl typing on her mobile phone. The material of the dark blue blazer, the round navy buttons, the large black shows, the grey slacks. She dared not look up.  
  
The girl with the phone looked over at Aoshi appreciatively, her tongue licking her lips in an unconscious action as she soaked in his facial features, his neck, his broad shoulders…all the way down to the girl clinging to his jacket. The girl shot her a dirty look. Misao looked up at Aoshi's face and flashed a haughty grin at the girl. The girl sniffed at her and turned away, nochantly going back to her phone.  
  
Obviously that girl had thought Aoshi was her boyfriend. She was clinging to him for dear life afterall. The girl had been so ready to walk over to stalk her prey before she noticed Misao.  
  
Hmm. That got her thinking. It was a ridiculous idea. But could it work? It's not like she wanted to be associated with him in that way. But why not? All the advantages were there. He had said girls who confessed to him always pestered him. His fan club was breathing down both their necks. He wouldn't have to think of lousy excuses to cover up the fact that he was trying to keep them away from her. The guys at the school would rejoice. The girls at the school would hate her…but practically all the girls in the school were in the pukey pukey fan club anyway.   
  
The best part of the whole plan?  
  
Misao's eye met with the girl with the phone again, the girl's face twisted in a sneer.  
  
Taking away the thing that the girls that attacked her all wanted. What brilliant revenge!  
  
Misao practically skipped off the train when it pulled into the station. She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind a nearby sign as the steady stream of passengers made its way to the stairs.  
  
" Shinomori I have a proposition for you."  
  
He nodded slightly, glancing at his watch, in a hurry to make his baseball practice. She reasoned with him.  
  
" …Will you go out with me?"  
  
" …for real?"  
  
" Of course not for real! Just for convenience."  
  
" Go on."  
  
" You hate girls giving you love letters. You hate having to listen to their confessions and then rejecting them. You hate your fan club."  
  
" mm."  
  
" I'm hated by most of the female students. All of them like you. They did this " Misao said, grabbing her short hair in emphasis, " to me. Clearly I do want some kind of revenge."  
  
Misao smiled. He looked mildly interested.  
  
" What better way than to give them what they've been insinuating all along? Lets go out. At least pretend anyway."  
  
Aoshi turned away from Misao's eager eyes, strolling down to the nearest vending machine for a warm coffee can. Sliding the coins in, he could hear the clink of the coins hitting the pile inside the machine.  
  
She was right of course. It all was really a nuisance. He'd never really thought about it before. He'd never liked anyone to say yes to. He always thought that his fanclub would go ape over it. A relationship of convenience huh?  
  
Misao was the product of his fears. She really had been attacked by the fan club.  
  
He pushed a button before slotting more coins for the next can. Hearing two thunking sounds, he bent over, reaching into the little flap door to pull out two warm cans of coffee. He tossed on to her.  
  
" You're on."  
  
Misao jumped with glee before wincing in pain from the wound on her side. Shaking her head vigorously to get rid of the pain she caught the coffee can and opened it.  
  
" Here's to a good partnership!"  
  
They clinked cans and downed it, tossing the empty can in the garbage bin. Misao grabbed his arm as the next train pulled in. Dozens of students from their school poured off the train.   
  
Misao grinned as she heard sharp exclamations of " Look!"  
  
Aoshi, looking rather uncomfortable and stiff with Misao hanging off her arm shrugged her off. Damnit her hanging off his arm was stopping traffic and delaying the train as students stood shell shocked at the train carriage doorway.  
  
" psst what are you doing. We're supposed to act-" Misao whispered anxiously, keeping her eyes on the crowd.  
  
Aoshi captured her hand in hers confidently, leading her towards the stairs and out of the station. As they left the station, shrieks of "Oh my lord!" and " QUICK someone get a doctor! These girls have fainted" echoed behind them.  
  
" Aahahaha! I can't believe it!" Misao laughed, gripping his hand a bit. " That was sooo rich! Absolutely priceless."  
  
" mm. I believe we caused a train delay."  
  
They were nearing the school now. The station had been a mere stage setter. This was where it counted. If their lovely plan would work for real. They walked to the baseball team club room, aware of the whispering and the gasps of surprise from all the people they passed on the early morning.   
  
" I'll be right back."  
  
Aoshi disappeared into the room, closing the door with a soft click. Misao stood outside in the hallway, leaning against the wall directly opposite the door.   
  
" Hey! What's up Makimachi!"  
  
Sano hollered from down the hall, running towards her with gym bag in hand casually over his shoulder.  
  
" Waiting for your beau? Aoshi?"  
  
Misao smiled. She really liked Sano. He was so vivacious and happy.  
  
" You bet. Tell him to hurry up a bit. His fair princess is waiting afterall" she said, laying it particularly thick.  
  
Sano laughed good naturedly at her 'joke'.   
  
" Sure your highness. I am your humble messenger."  
  
Sano waved with his freehand and disappeared inside the clubroom. Misao smiled as she could still hear Sano's loud booming voice from outside.  
  
" Hey Aoshi! Your princess girlfriend is waiting outside!"  
  
Then she heard a few thuds and the sound of a table scraping the floor. The clubroom door slid open, revealing Sano stabilizing himself using the table and Aoshi strolling out quite straight faced and casual. He held out his hand for her and she took it, tossing a wave to Sano with her other hand.  
  
Such a guilty pleasure, leaving shell shocked people in her wake over something so simple as holding hands.  
  
As the baseball club began morning practice, she sat on the bench with Kaoru, the manager of the baseball club.  
  
" So I guess you and Aoshi-kun are a couple now?"  
  
" …uh yeh I guess."  
  
" Wow that's so great! So Okon was right!"  
  
" mm." Misao responded absent mindedly.  
  
She could see several members of the fan club congregating on the fair end of the field. Even though they were so far away, she could feel their glares stabbing her proverbially in the chest.   
  
Kaoru looked anxious as she followed Misao's gaze.  
  
" Misao-chan…they're not giving you any trouble right?"  
  
Misao's side sent out a twinge of pain to her brain, triggered by remembering the events 2 days ago.  
  
" …Oh no of course not. Shinomori has been taking really good care of me."  
  
Kaoru raised an eyebrow.  
  
" Why are you still calling him by his last name?"  
  
" Um…well you see he's a little shy…so…this makes him more comfortable."  
  
Kaoru's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Aoshi, on field in mid pitch seemed to glance over at Misao and Kaoru with equip suspicion.  
  
" Aoshi! Look alive! What sort of pitch was that!"  
  
The girls turned back to the baseball diamond to see the batter run to third base before being proclaimed safe.  
  
Uh oh.  
  
Author's notes : Does it seem lame to you? It kinda seems lame to me now...but this was what i wanted to spur the plot on. It seems like a fun idea right? Super predictable right? We'll see!! :P But for now lets have some fun with this. Thanks you guys for still reading. 


	5. Chapter 5 in progress

OK STOP.  
  
If you have been reading this fic somewhat religiously you should know that my last update was only an unfinished version of chapter 4. Please do not proceed without going back to reading that. OK tomoe out! On with it…(ah disgruntled fans who hate waiting…the only way you know people care 3)  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Ok. So now where were we?  
  
Oh yes. Sitting on a bench on the baseball field with the male baseball team's resident pretty manager shooting you strange and suspicious looks every time she had a chance. The 'boyfriend' is out showing his star quality pitching, much to the delight of the rabid fan girls just outside left field. Much to their disgust and loathing, the 'boyfriend' had finished pitching and was trotting towards the bench that she was sitting on. He sat down, taking the water bottle she, the dedicated 'girlfriend' that she was, handed to him. He bent over to wipe some dust off his shoe as she stood up, holding a water bottle and began pouring the water over his head.  
  
He looked up sharply at her as the stream of water stopped.  
  
" What a good 'girlfriend' you're making." He whispered.  
  
Misao smirked, casting a quick glance over her shoulder as she watched the fan girls in left field fume with glee.  
  
" Of course I am 'honey'" she said loudly, rubbing a towel vigorously to dry his wet hair. " now dear we wouldn't want you to catch a cold now. Lets go get you changed".  
  
The other players on the bench looked surprised. When they'd seen her walk in with their team mate this morning they'd thought it was a joke. As if iceberg Shinomori was ever going to get involved with a girl they'd thought. The whole team stood still as their prized pitcher stood up, drying his hair still in one hand and being pulled along by the petite girl by the other.  
  
Oh man. He's whipped.  
  
" Maa maa guys. Lets get back to practicing!" Kenshin called from the field as he noticed his team's shift in attention.  
  
Kenshin took a few practice swings as the new pitcher moved into place.  
  
Wow a relationship huh?  
  
" STRIKE ONE!"  
  
" …oro?" Kenshin said surprised.  
  
" Oi oi captain! You're the one who told us to concentrate"  
  
Kenshin shook his head vigorously before swinging his bat once more, the whoosh sound clear and crisp in the catchers ear.  
  
" Bring it on."  
  
BRRRRRRRRRRINNNNNNNGGG  
  
The bell had run, signaling the beginning of homeroom. Of course, it had almost been completely drowned out by the anxious whispers and murmurs of the people of year 1. Rumours that one from their year had managed to score the hottest guy in school.  
  
As the pair reached the top of the stairs, the students in the crowded hallways fell into a silent and expectant hush. The crowd seemed to part ways as the 'couple' glided through the hallways like royalty before they reached a particular classroom.  
  
" Bye baby…I'll miss you during class. Lets eat lunch together kay?" Misao said loudly for the benefit of the crowd.  
  
She gestured for him to lean down closer as the crowd seemed to hold a collective breath. Could this be it? The moment the number one bachelor in school got caught, hook line and sinker?  
  
Aoshi shuddered slightly at Misao's sugar sweet and lyrical voice. This was so not like her. It seemed so fake to him and yet by the reactions of all those in the hall, the crowd seemed oblivious.   
  
No going back now.  
  
Playing along, he leaned down to put his face nearer hers, his hands shoved into his pant pockets.  
  
" Of course … Maki-Misao…."  
  
The crowd gasped. First name basis. That was a huge step of commitment for Aoshi and the fans knew it. This could be the beginning of the end…but they could not tear their eyes from the sickening sweet scene.   
  
Misao stood on her tip toes as Aoshi leaned in further. It seemed like they might seal it with a kiss. The girls in the hall swooned at the thought of getting kissed by Aoshi and fumed at the thought that it wasn't their in Misao's shoes. The guys in the hall cat called, whistled and cheered at the fact that now if Aoshi was taken, the girls in his club would be free for the dating.  
  
They leaned in closer, she batted her eye lashes before she closed her eyes. He stood staring at her face, not blinking at all. The distance between them closed fast, their noses rubbing against each other.  
  
" Alright alright. Break it up! Get to class!"  
  
Saitou appeared at the end of the hall at the top of the stairs, banging his folder against the wall for some impact.   
  
Misao quickly moved to peck Aoshi on the cheek. Aoshi, not bothering to wave after such a scene, moved off to the other end of the hall's stairs to his classroom. He knew no one would dare attack Misao with Saitou around. He had a good reputation as the scariest teacher in school after all. Good old coach.  
  
Saitou walked up to the classroom doorway where Misao stood to great him. The rest of the class was already in their seats, all with their necks craning to see through the windows to see what would happen outside.   
  
" Eyes to the board!" Saitou barked, yelling in Misao's face.  
  
The class did so quickly. Saitou smirked at Misao, his eyes seemingly all knowing and onto Aoshi's and her plan.  
  
" Good morning Makimachi…a bit to early for public displays of affection don't you think?"  
  
" Good morning sensei. Why of course, we will not be doing that again."  
  
" Well that's good to hear Makimachi but if you don't sit down I'll give you detention."  
  
Misao hurried to her seat as Saitou walked up to the front, slamming his folder down onto the table to begin homeroom.  
  
Don't you love me for doing little bits and pieces of chapters at a time.  
  
I'll add more parts as i finish them ok? Thanks for reading  
  
-Tomoe 


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